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Creedite: America’s “bandit” stone

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Yes, you read correctly. Not credit, creedite. If you type the word "creedite" into the Internet, the search engine will immediately bring up lists of banks offering various loan programs, assuming that you need money, and assuming also that you just misspelled the word. But no, creedite is a word indeed: Creedite is a rock that American mining engineers Larsen and Welsh stumbled upon absolutely by accident in 1916. The find was made near the town of Creede, which at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries was known as one of the most crime-ridden towns in America...

It is unknown exactly what the two Americans were looking for near the said town. But if you dig a little deeper into its history, it is easy to guess that they were most likely not driven by scientific interests.

Creede was the last town to grow from silver mining during the "silver rush" (a little bit analogous to the famous gold rush). At the end of the 19th century, it was booming and life was boiling here. Thanks to the silver boom, Creede's population grew from 600 to 10,000 in just three years, from 1889 to 1891. Silver, mined near Creede, was the most traded currency in town. It was lost at cards, paid for whiskey and brothels. What a town to live in!

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Creede prospered also due to the fact that in Denver, the capital of Colorado, the fight against gambling clubs and saloons began. The owners of gambling houses moved to Creede instead, and the small town, located 270 kilometers from the capital, overnight turned into a Mecca of entertainment: the infamous city which inspired “Viva las Vegas” won’t become popular until 1931, 40 years after Creede’s blooming.
Together with gamblers; Creede attracted a string of cheaters and criminals. The most famous of these was Jefferson Randolph, also known as Soap Smith. Randolph, with close ties to the state's criminal circles, ran criminal schemes, and earned his nickname from the soap trade, in "prize" sopa pieces, in which he hid bundles of money. The hygiene product was bought up by the local population, but the "prized" ones only went to front customers, who were resourceful businessmen. However, his happiness was short-lived. Soon "Soap Smith" was killed in a shootout, getting shot right in the heart. “Live fast, die young”, says the phrase.

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Soon enough, after Denver started losing preposterous amounts of money, the government reacted and lifted the ban on salons and gambling houses. In a blink of an eye, these establishments began to return to the capital. At the same time, the "silver panic" that engulfed other cities in Colorado brought down the prices of this metal and subsequently, most of Creed's silver mines were closed.

The city's population declined, but it survived by refocusing on lead and zinc mining. That was when two American engineers arrived in the vicinity of Creed, in search of another valuable Silver deposit. It is unlikely that they expected to make a scientific discovery and reveal a new unknown mineral to the world.

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But that's exactly what happened in the end. While building the mine, the researchers stumbled upon an unknown stone. Because of his "needles" sticking out in all directions, it resembled a sea urchin. The discovery caused an incredible excitement and the news about it immediately spread around the neighborhood. Of course it did! Who knows, maybe the stone could turn out to be precious, and start some kind of "mineral fever"!

Hopes were dashed, however, when laboratory analysis showed that the find was worthless. However, the mining engineers decided to name the stone in honor of the nearby town of Creed.

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The color scheme of the mineral is quite diverse. It can be yellow, brown, beige, pink, purple, orange and red. Creedite is a rare mineral formed in thermal veins. The stone has no practical application, and is not used in jewelry production because of its fragility; however, it is actively mined for collection purposes.

Lithotherapists (believers of non-traditional medicine, who practice stone therapy) have a special place in their beliefs for the creedite. According to such "doctors", the stone has a high vibration frequency and a powerful energy that helps to overcome laziness, sluggishness and unwillingness to work. Well, according to this description; there should be a creedite mineral in each office in the world. Other magical powers have been ascribed to it as well. The stone supposedly helps the wearer to focus on old dreams and plans.
Truth be told, we can do exactly the same with credit; and, well… the result is at least more likely to be successful. But if you don't want to get into financial servitude with monthly payments, you can buy a stone and wait until your financial situation gets better. Having a little bit of faith hasn’t ever hurt anyone, has it?


Translated by Diego Monterrey, for Northwest Forpost.