Willamette: America's largest meteorite
A 15-tonne iron, a secret move and a sacred bond.
In 1902 Ellis Hughes found a huge iron meteorite in woodland near West Linn, Oregon. The land belonged to a steel company, so Hughes secretly spent three months hauling the 15.5-tonne mass about a kilometre onto his own land and charged visitors to see it. The company sued and won.
The Willamette meteorite was bought for the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where it has been on show since 1906. It is the largest meteorite found in the United States and the sixth largest in the world. It is a IIIAB iron, deeply pitted by weathering.
The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon know it as Tomanowos and consider it sacred. Since an agreement in 2000, tribal members hold a private ceremony with the meteorite every year.
In the catalogue
- Willamette Iron, IIIAB, United States, 1902 · 15.5 t