It had circled the sun for thousands, perhaps billions, of years when a chance collision sent it streaking toward Earth. Slivers of light flashed in the Southern Oregon sky for a few seconds as the fireball shattered in atmospheric friction, its pieces scattering across Sams Valley. There were no clocks to mark its fall. Perhaps a Takelma Indian child was there to look up and see it arc across the sky before it slammed into the ground. Read more
One of Oregon's important meteorites is the 15-pound Sams Valley iron found in 1894 by George P. Lindley of Medford. Recent investigations give evidence to the fact that the Sams Valley meteorite was not an individual fall as was commonly reported, but a shower of which five specimens were found. Three individuals can definitely be accounted for. Other specimens may yet be in the possession of residents of the Sams Valley and Medford areas. It is also quite likely that other meteorites will be found in the Sams Valley area.
Read more (2.8mb, PDF) Latitude: 42° 31' 46" N., Longitude: 122° 2' 30" W