Tag Archives: Crater of the Diamonds

Diamond Hunting in Arkansas

Posted on by

Prospectors, young and old, find treasures at Crater of the Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro. The park is the only diamond mine open to the public – and the best part – you keep whatever you unearth.

The Mine

Don’t be disappointed by your first glimpse at the diamond mine. Outwardly, it looks like a plowed farmer’s field. Appearances are deceiving. Hidden among the dirt furrows are diamond, agate, jasper, and quartz.

Diamond hunting can be surprisingly easy. Most gems found are small, about the size of a pea, and are less than a carat. The best diamond hunting is on a sunny day following a heavy rainstorm. The rain washes the dirt from the denser diamonds and the sunshine signals the hunter by reflecting off the diamond’s surface. In these conditions, diamonds can actually be found by simply walking the rows of plowed dirt.

Serious miners employ a more strenuous method to find their gems. Prospectors haul buckets filled with dirt to a washing area. Park regulars use water to sluice dirt away from the stones and then sift through the remaining gravel in search of diamonds. With the right rhythm, the dense diamonds settle to the sluicing pan’s bottom separating out from the washed away dirt. This is hard work but fun to try. The park has two covered washing sheds for water sifting. It’s a lively place with fellow diamond hunters readily helping each other by offering tips and assistance to novice treasure seekers.

Some diamond hunters use a third method to find the elusive stones. Divining a likely spot, they plop down in the field and dry sift the soil. This method appears to be most fun for the youngest treasure seekers. Kids love to dig and here they are in their element.

Geology and history

How did diamonds end up in this Arkansas field? About 100 million years ago, a volcanic pipe shot diamonds and other geological wonders from deep within the earth’s mantle to the surface forming the Prairie Creek Diatreme. Traveling at speeds from 60 to 250 miles an hour, volcanic pipes pushed earth up and out to the surface, mixing magma with rock and minerals in its path.

At Crater of the Diamonds, the diamonds lost 60 to 80 percent of their size during their trip through the earth’s crust when they mixed with the hot, molten magma.  Still, over the years there have been incredible finds. Discovered in 1924, the Uncle Sam diamond registered 40 carats. And in 1975, Mr. Johnson unearthed a 16 carat diamond, the Amarillo Starlight.

The first diamonds were discovered by John Huddleston, a local farmer in 1906. Commercial attempts to mine the diamonds did not succeed and in 1972 the State of Arkansas bought the property for a park. Since that time, over 2.8 million people visited and left with about 28,700 diamonds – that is roughly 600 diamonds a year. Not bad odds for treasure seekers.

More than diamonds

Even without a diamond, families can return home with treasures. Huge Jasper chunks litter the mine field with spots of red and burnished orange color. Lamproite with gold streaks of mica and translucent agate wait to be discovered. Visitors can remove one, five-gallon bucket of rock and soil each day. Following several visits to the Crater of the Diamonds, our family has an astoundingly colorful rock collection of personal finds.

Planning your visit

The park website offers tips for planning your mining expedition. Recommend wearing old clothes and boots as the field is often muddy. If you intend to wet sift for diamonds, bring rubber gloves. The park rents prospecting gear like sifting screens and hand trowels for a nominal fee. I suggest, however, that you bring your own bucket for transporting treasures home. Sandwich baggies are handy for keeping small stones from getting lost. Without shade trees, hats and sun screen are a must during summer months.

When you go

Crater of the Diamonds State Park (209 State Park Road, Murfreesboro) is open daily, with times varying by season. Entrance to the park is free, but there is a fee to access the diamond field. The park has tent and RV camping spots. The Queen of Diamonds Inn, located in nearby Murfreesboro, offers clean and comfortable rooms, or travel to either nearby Hope or Akadelphia for a wider selection of lodging.

So pack the kids and head out for a weekend treasure hunt. Maybe you will be next to discover a diamond.

Winter Weekends Near Dallas

Posted on by

While our northern neighbors are shoveling snow, Dallasites can take advantage of moderate winter weather. In fact, many of these destinations are best visited in winter or early spring before our hot summer heat makes outdoor activities unbearable. Whether it’s a family safari, gathering fossils or diamond hunting, here are five family-friendly winter weekend destinations within driving distance of Dallas.

Mineral Wells, Texas.

Mineral Wells Fossil Park will capture young paleontologists’ imaginations. Located just 80 miles southwest of Dallas, the park contains thousands of small, prehistoric sea life fossils. The park was once a borrow pit used by the city for dirt fill. Years of rain and erosion exposed the 300 million old fossils with many readily visible throughout the pit.

Gathering fossils is easy – no digging necessary. Bring a small baggie for collecting treasures. You won’t find a dinosaur here, but you can keep what you unearth! The park is free, and is open Friday through Monday.

Glen Rose, Texas

Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is as close as you’ll get to an African safari without boarding a plane. Spanning 1800 acres near Glen Rose, Texas, the sprawling complex is home to North Texas Ramblingsover 50 species of exotic African and Eurasian animals. The most common way to observe the animals is from your car. Buy a bag of animal feed and you’ll make a herd of new friends as you drive the nine mile park route.

Nearby Dinosaur World will thrill pint-sized dino lovers with over 100 dinosaur replicas.

Waco, Texas

Waco Mammoth Site is an often overlooked destination. In 1978, two teenage boys spotted a bone embedded in a dry Waco creek bed. The boys’ find became the largest nursery herd of Columbian mammoth (19 mammoths and a camel) discovered. The Waco Mammoth Site opened to the public in 2009. Docent-led tours take you through a climate-controlled building surrounding the dig site where you can see mammoth bones as they were found.

While in Waco, stop by the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame. Most of the museum focuses on real Texas Rangers, but one section is dedicated to our fictional heroes like those in Lone Ranger and Walker Texas Ranger television series.

Murfreesboro, Arkansas

Crater of the Diamond State Park may make you rich. Or so you hope. About 250 miles east of Dallas, the park is the only diamond mine open to the public. To the uninitiated, the mine looks like nothing more than a plowed farmer’s field. But appearances can be deceiving. Hidden in the dirt furrows are diamonds, agate, jasper and quartz.

Park visitors find over 500 diamonds each year, though most diamonds are less than the size of a pea. Adventurous families can camp at the park or the Queen of Diamonds Inn in Murfreesboro offers affordable and comfortable lodging.

Grapevine, Texas

Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine fits the bill for those wanting a weekend escape without the car drive. Your stay at the lodge includes access to their massive indoor water park – a guaranteed winner with the youngsters. Great Wolf Lodge offers special discounts for multiple night stays (up to 20 percent off) and even deeper room discounts for families staying during the weeknights.

While it’s possible to spend an entire weekend just at the lodge, be sure to take advantage of all the nearby Grapevine offers. Reopening February 22, 2013, the Grapevine Vintage Railroad transports passengers from Grapevine depot to the Stockyards in Fort Worth via old time rail cars pulled by either Puffy (a 1896 steam engine) or Vinny (a 1953 diesel engine).