‘Every rock has a story’: retired geologist opens rock library in Whitehorse

Tucked away on a quiet street in Whitehorse is a new community library.

This isn’t the kind of library where you’ll find a new thriller, or a well-loved cookbook. The shelves aren’t filled with paper. They’re filled with rocks. 

Galena from Keno Hill, gypsum, quartz, even semiprecious stones like rhodonite. 

Some people collect books. Lee Pigage, a retired geologist in Whistle Bend, collects rocks. 

Just like novels, Lee says: “every rock has a story.” There’s the story of how it’s formed, and then what happens to it as it moves through time, he explained. 

He has a newly installed Geologist’s Rock Library at the edge of his lawn, to share his knowledge and stones with the community.

A closer look at the rocks and stones that line the shelves of the library on Oct. 4, 2026. (Grace Knapp/CBC)

It was a birthday gift from his son, Justin Pigage.

“Not everyone gets to know the story of their rock, but he is someone that can tell you,” Justin explained. “He has a wealth of knowledge and we were encouraging him to pass it along through this library.”

It all started when Justin’s nine-year-old daughter found a rock library in Carcross. “I believe that all kids are born with a love for rocks,” he said. “Some people grow out of it and some people don’t.”

Justin Pigage, far right, and his kids Karsten, left, Evelyn, middle, and Parker, right, presented the rock library as a birthday gift for Lee Pigage, far left. (Submitted by Justin Pigage)

Take what catches your eye, and leave a stone behind, explained Lee. 

On the top shelf, someone left gypsum from the Silvertip Mine in northern B.C., he said. While the other two shelves are open for exchanging, the top is for curious rock enthusiasts.

“Drop a sample and he’ll write you a note of his expert opinion on what it is,” explained Justin.

Justin and his sons left samples of galena. They collected it from Keno Hill while adventuring through the area, he said.

Justin remembers rock collecting as a kid himself while camping with Lee. “We’d stumble around staring at the ground instead of the beautiful scenery,” he explained. “It led us to some pretty cool places.”

It isn’t just a Pigage family tradition, explained Lee. “A lot of people have a pet rock sitting on their window sill and maybe they would like to trade it for a different one.”