Willamette Meteorite | Partial Slice Of The Crown Jewel Of Meteorites

This is a partial slice from the most famous meteorite in the world. In the desire to reveal the singular recrystallized internal structure of the 15.5 ton Willamette meteorite — the crown jewel of the American Museum of Natural History’s Rose Center — it was decided in 1997 to cut a 13-kilogram end piece from the mass. The partial slice offered here was removed from that section. While Willamette is among the world’s heaviest meteorites, because it was found on Earth’s surface scientists believe it landed in Canada and was deposited in Oregon by a glacier in the last ice age. According to Clackamas Indian tradition, however, the meteorite named “Tomanowos” healed and empowered the Indian community in the Willamette Valley since the beginning of time.

Ellis Hughes discovered the meteorite in 1902, on property adjoining his own, and moved it to his property where he charged an admission fee to the curious. One of his first customers was an attorney from Oregon Iron & Steel who noticed the path from which the meteorite had been dragged…off of his employer’s land. Oregon Iron & Steel sued for possession and a jury decided in their favor. While on exhibit at the World’s Fair, the meteorite was sold to Mrs. William Dodge, who shortly thereafter donated it to The American Museum of Natural History. The Willamette meteorite was the centerpiece of the Hayden Planetarium when it first opened, and more than 50 million people have seen or touched this meteorite during its 115 years on exhibition. In 2000, The American Museum of Natural History and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde signed an agreement to ensure the Grand Ronde’s access to the Willamette Meteorite for religious and cultural purposes while it remains at the Museum for scientific and educational purposes. While the act of cutting the meteorite in 1997 was not without controversy, what was revealed by having done so resulted in nothing less than the scientific reclassification of the meteorite. In the agreement between the Museum and the Grand Ronde, it was decreed the main mass of the Willamette meteorite would never be cut again. This partial slice features Willamette’s signature recrystallized matrix and a rim of the meteorite’s external surface. A prestigious addition to any collection, the acquisition of a specimen from the centerpiece exhibit at a major museum is virtually unheard of and offered now is one such exception.

PROVENANCE:

American Museum of Natural History, New York City

Macovich Collection of Meteorites, New York City