Man Finds 92-Pound Petoskey Stone In Lake Michigan, Does It Belong To Him?
In 40-plus years of trekking around Northern Michigan beaches, I never once found a small Petoskey stone, let alone one weighing close to 100-pounds.
But Tim O'Brien hauled out the mother lode of the fossilized rock from a beach in Manistee County recently. Is it his?
O'Brien who is from Copemish, is playing coy about where he found the rock, saying only that he located it in shallow water not far from Northport. He also claims there are many in the water like it in that area.
O'Brien says he carried the beastly rock '114 steps' to his pick up truck and he plans to display the rock in his yard for the time being. (Who counts steps when they're hauling a huge ass rock??)
Posted by Timothy O'Brien on Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Petoskey stones are fossilized rocks that have been named the official State Stone.
There has been some loose discussion about whether the bog rock belongs to O'Brien, or it technically property of the State of Michigan. Even Tim posted a question about the morality and ethics of digging out the rock on a Great Lakes Mineral page.
I'll eave that question to the lawmakers, in the meantime, I'll leave you with this question. When a man finds a 92 pound rock, it's national news, but if your boat prop hits that same 92 pound rock, will anyone stop and help? Probably not.