Digging for Diamonds ~ Crater of Diamonds State Park

“Diamonds, that’ll shut her up.”

~ Ron White

They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but personally, I’ve never really cared that much about them. 

That is … until I got to dig for them!!

That’s right, you read that correctly, I dug for diamonds!!

The most surprising part (if you ask me) … I didn’t even leave the US to do it!

Did You Know?

There's a 37-acre field in Arkansas that sits on an ancient volcanic vent called the Prairie Creek Pipe.  This pipe was created from a volcanic explosion more than 100 million years ago and thanks to that explosion, diamonds were brought up from deep within the earth and they are now, at this very moment, waiting to be discovered!

Just outside Murfreesboro, Arkansas is the 8^th largest diamond reserve in the world …

So, let’s say you’re there on that special day and you find a 16.37 carat diamond like W. W. Johnson did in 1975, well it’s all yours!

Or, let’s say you stumble across the most perfect diamond ever evaluated by the laboratory of the American Gem Society like Shirley Strawn did in 1990, well that diamond is all yours. 

Orrrr, let’s say you found a 7.44 carat diamond like Kalel Langford did in 2017, again, all yours!!

Did You Know?

The ancient Greek and Romans believed diamonds were the fallen tears of the Gods. 

How the park came to be:

Within a few years the land was owned by two mining companies and in 1952 they formed a partnership.

That partnership created The Crater of Diamonds tourist attraction, opened the land up to the public, and it was a success! 

Visitors were able to pay a small fee to search for diamonds and keep anything they found.

Three notable diamonds were discovered during that time, the 15.33 carat Star of Arkansas found in 1956, the 6.42 carat Gary Moore diamond discovered in 1960 and the 34.25 carat Star of Murfreesboro discovered in 1964.

In 1972 the state of Arkansas purchased 911 acres of land which included The Crater of Diamonds tourist attraction and turned it into the beautiful state park it is today!

FUN FACTS:

• In 1924 a worker for the Arkansas Diamond Company discovered a 40.23 carat diamond! 
  • That was, and still is, the largest diamond ever discovered on American soil AND it was discovered at this park!
• Over 75,000 diamonds have been found here since 1906.
• Since the park was formed in 1972 over 33,785 gems were discovered by park visitors, with a total weight exceeding 6,700 carats!
• For the past ten years over 400 diamonds have been found each year.
• A large number of the diamonds found, are sitting on the surface and people don’t actually have to dig for them.
• Diamonds have been discovered here by people of all ages, from kids to grandparents.
• Diamonds come in all colors of the rainbow; crater diamonds come in white, yellow and brown.  
• The best part of all, the park is dog friendly!! Your best friend can come hunt for treasure with you, so let them guide you to the next big discovery!

What else does the park have to offer?

• Camping (47 AAA Campsites and 5 Walk-In Tent Sites)
  • Showers
  • Laundry
• Walking trails
• Picnic Sites
• Gift Shop
• Visitor Center – You can gain a wealth of knowledge on everything diamonds
• Workshops and demonstrations
• Diamond Springs Water Park
• Kimberlite Café

Anyway, I highly recommend paying this place a visit!

Note: For the specifics on pricing, camping, water park and café openings it’s best to contact the Crater of Diamonds State Park directly.  

Sources:

Encyclopedia of Arkansas,

Arkansas State Parks