- Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. The common red color is due to iron(III) inclusions. Jasper breaks with a smooth surface and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for items such as vases, seals, and snuff boxes. The specific gravity of jasper is typically 2.5 to 2.9. Jaspillite is a banded-iron-formation rock that often has distinctive bands of jasper.
- Fort Steilacoom, Vol. 35, No. 1, Spring 2018 (PDF) (historicfortsteilacoom.org)
August Valentine Kautz was born in Germany on January 5, 1828. Shortly thereafter the family, including close relatives, emigrated to America and settled on land previously purchased in Ohio. When he grew up, August Kautz had a long career in the United States Army. He graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1852, serving in many places, including Fort Steilacoom, and later as a General in the Civil War. He retired from active service on January 5, 1892, in Vancouver, Washington.