Crater of Diamonds State Park

 

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Crater of Diamonds State Park - Murfreesboro, Arkansas
The Crater of Diamonds State Park is located in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Wyoming, Arkansas and Colorado are the only states to have a verifiable source of diamonds in the United States but there is only one mine -  the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro. The Park, in Murfreesboro, is the only publicly owned diamond site in the world.  Visitors may search for diamonds and keep what they find regardless of size or of value! A day out in the Crater of Diamonds State Park, Murfreesboro provides diamond hunters with the hope that they might return home from Murfreesboro far richer than when they arrived! This hope is by no means unfounded as the Crater of Diamonds State Park, Murfreesboro has yielded over 70,000 diamonds including the Kahn Canary Diamond  and the Uncle Sam Diamond. There is still an estimated 80 million tons of diamond bearing rock to sort through and diamond finds are made on a regular basis yielding about 600 diamonds every year at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro.

History Timeline - Famous Diamonds found at Crater of Diamonds State Park
The following timeline details famous diamond discoveries (weighing over 1 carat) found at Crater of Diamonds State Park Murfreesboro, Arkansas:
 



 

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Dates of Diamond DiscoveriesFamous Diamonds found at Crater of Diamonds State Park
1924The Uncle Sam diamond was discovered by W. O. Bassum who was a worker at the Arkansas Diamond Corporation. The stone weighed 40.23 carats as a rough diamond crystal, was colored white and was the biggest diamond ever found in the US.
1956The "Star of Arkansas", a white 15.33-carat crystal was found at the Murfreesboro Crater State Park
1967The 1967 Arkansas General Assembly passed legislation designating the diamond as the official gem of the State.
1975

The white “Amarillo Starlight” weighing 16.37 carats was discovered by W. W. Johnson of Amarillo, Texas. The stone was cut to a 7.54-carat marquise-shaped gem, valued at between $150,000 and $175,000.

1975

The brown Dunn diamond weighing 6.75 carats was discovered at the Murfreesboro Crater State Park

1977

The yellow “Kahn Canary” weighing 4.25 carats was discovered at the Murfreesboro Crater State Park

1978

The brown Lamle diamond weighing 8.61 carats was discovered at the Murfreesboro Crater State Park

1981

The white “ Star of Shreveport” weighing 8.82 carats was discovered at the Murfreesboro Crater State Park

1986

The white Connell diamond weighing 7.95 carats was discovered at the Murfreesboro Crater State Park

1990

The white Strawn-Wagner Diamond weighing 3.03 carats) was discovered by park visitor Shirley Strawn of Murfreesboro, Arkansas

1994

The "Star of Arkansas" was auctioned at Christie's of New York for $145,000.

1997

The brown Cooper Diamonds weighing 6.72 and 6.0 carats were found at the Murfreesboro Crater State Park

1998

The yellow Stevens/Dickenson diamond weighing 7.28 carats was discovered at the Murfreesboro Crater State Park

2006

June 9, 2006 a 1.11-Carat, Flawless White Diamond was found nine-year-old Courtney Conder from Illinois. She named her diamond 'The Sparkles Diamond'

2006
    1.11-Carat, Flawless White Diamond was found nine-year-old Courtney Conder from Illinois - 'The Sparkles Diamond' 5.47-carat canary diamond found by Bob Wehle of Ripon, Wisconsin Melissa Lacey weight 1.3 carats found Donald and Brenda Roden weight 6.35 carats found The Star of Thelma weight 2.37 carats (white) found
Dates of Diamond DiscoveriesFamous Diamonds found at Crater of Diamonds State Park

The above History Timeline provides details of famous diamond discoveries (weighing over 1 carat) found at Crater of Diamonds State Park Murfreesboro, Arkansas.

Crater of Diamonds State Park - Location
The Crater of Diamonds State Park is located two miles southeast of Murfreesboro on Arkansas Highway 301.

Crater of Diamonds State Park
209 State Park Road
Murfreesboro, AR 71958
Telephone: (870) 285-3113

 

The Crater of Diamonds State Park - Facilities
The entrance fee to the Crater of Diamonds State Park is only nominal. Including the diamond field the Crater of Diamonds state park consists of nearly 900 pine-covered acres located along the banks of the Little Missouri River. A scenic River Trail (1.3 miles a 1-hour hike) winds its way through the pine woods to the River. The facilities at the Crater State Park in Murfreesboro include:

  • Modern campgrounds, restrooms and picnic areas
  • Visitor Center with exhibits, an audiovisual room and gift shop
  • Restaurant

Crater of Diamonds State Park - The Diamond Field in Arkansas!
The Diamond field consists of a 35 acre field where diamonds and other different types of gemstones can be discovered. Gemstones found at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro include amethyst, agate, jasper, quartz, calcite, barite and of diamonds. Although a diamond is generally assumed to be white or colorless they actually come in many different colors. The three most common colors found at the Crater of Diamond State Park in Arkansas are white, brown and yellow, in that order.

Crater of Diamonds State Park - Where do the Diamonds come from?
The diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park have taken over 100 million years to reach the diamond field! They are initially formed approximately ninety miles under the earth's surface when extreme temperatures (2200 degrees Fahrenheit) and massive pressure cause carbon atoms to crystallize forming diamonds. The rough stones reach the surface of the earth when a volcano erupts via volcanic pipes. When a volcano erupts the precious stones are also deposited on, or near, the surface. Some of the host rock might be washed away by streams and rivers. Diamonds are therefore found in areas or locations such as the Murfreesboro area in Arkansas where there have been volcanic activity or erosion and where natural elements such as streams, rivers and even glaciers might have taken them. A volcanic explosion  blasted the Murfreesboro area in Arkansas and created a massive crater. It has taken 100 million years for diamonds to develop and surface at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas.

  

Crater of Diamonds State Park - Searching for Diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park
The State Park attracts thousands of visitors every year. The visitors employ various techniques to locate diamonds and other gemstones. Pavilions, complete with sluice beds, are provided within the crater and diamond hunters collect buckets of the gravel and soil. This is then sorted via a washing process. Other diamond hunters sift the soil through wire mesh screens that are also provided at the Crater of Diamonds State Park. Should a visitor be lucky enough to find a diamond this would be verified and weighed by Park staff. A siren is sounded in the park if a visitor finds a large rough diamond.

History Timeline of the Crater of Diamonds State Park, Murfreesboro, Arkansas
The following timeline & history of the Crater of Diamonds State Park Murfreesboro, Arkansas details important historical events and dates:

Dates & History Crater of  Diamonds State ParkTimeline & History of Crater of Diamonds State Park
 Diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park have taken over 100 million years to reach the Murfreesboro diamond field
1906Farmer John Wesley Huddleston found two stones on his land and sent the stones to a jeweller  called Charles S. Stifft to verify their authenticity
1906

John Huddleston sold his 160 acre diamond-bearing land for $36,000 and the Arkansas Diamond Company was established

1906M.M. Mauney, a farmer who owned the Arkansas site's remaining 40 acres charging visitors 50 cents for ice cream and the exclusive chance to hunt for free diamonds
1907The publicity attracted by the idea of finding free diamonds resulted in the Arkansas Diamond Rush!

1909A South African diamond mine expert tested the Murfreesboro site confirming that diamonds were found throughout the depths of a 205-foot test shaft
1910M M Mauney sold most of his land to Horace Bemis who formed the Ozark Diamond Corporation and leased the remaining 10 acres to Austin Millar who was an excellent businessman and began recovering a lot of diamonds.
1910 - 1919Bemis was sold his land to the Millar family. M M Mauney then wanted to break the lease and take over operation of one plant, but Austin Millar refused leading to over 30 lawsuits
1919In 1919 there was a huge fire and all three of the Millar's plants burned down. Arson was strongly suspected but never proved
1949In 1949 a major attempt was made by the Millar family to open the diamond deposit to the public.
1951The Millar family opened it in 1951 as the Diamond Preserve of the United States
1951The adjacent property had passed through various owners and was in the hands of Mrs. Ethel Wilkinson. She opened the Arkansas Diamond Company to the public as The Big Mine
1952Austin Millar's son, Howard, renamed  the Diamond Preserve of the United States as the "Crater of Diamonds."
1964 and 1968Roscoe Johnston leased the land previously owned by the Arkansas Diamond Company and operated it as a tourist attraction under the name: "Crater of Diamonds State Park" or the Big Mine.
1967The 1967 Arkansas General Assembly passed legislation designating the diamond as the official gem of the State.
1969The Arkansas diamond-bearing site came under single ownership when it was purchased by General Earth Minerals of Dallas, Texas who continued to run the land as a tourist attraction until 1972

1972The State Of Arkansas bought the land for $750,000 calling it the Crater of Diamonds State Park of Arkansas.
1978 - 1979

Campsites, a visitor center, a gift shop, and other amenities were built during 1978 and 1979

Dates & History Crater of  Diamonds State ParkTimeline & History of Crater of Diamonds State Park

The above History Timeline provides details of important dates and events in the Arkansas Diamond mine - Crater of Diamonds State Park.


 

Crater of Diamonds State Park - Murfreesboro Information
The Crater of Diamond State Park is located at Murfreesboro, Arkansa. The origins of the Murfreesboro name? Murfreesboro, Arkansas  is a sister city to Murfreesboro in Tennessee which was named in memory of Colonel Hardy Murfree (1752 - 1809) who was an American colonel during the American Revolutionary War. Another great attraction in Murfreesboro is the Ka-Do-Ha Indian Village which is an excavated ancient Native American ceremonial site containing a prehistoric mound builder village, trading post, museum, arrowhead hunting and tours of excavations.

 

Facts - Information - Timeline - Murfreesboro - Arkansas - Guide - Location - Directions
Facilities - List - Famous Dicoveries - History Timeline

Crater of Diamonds State Park

 

Information about Crater of Diamonds State Park

Discover some fascinating information about the Crater of Diamonds
State Park.

  • Facts and Information about the Crater of Diamonds State Park
  • Crater of Diamonds State Park - The Crater of Diamonds State
    Park
  • How is a diamond formed
  • Searching for precious stones at the Crater of Diamonds
  • State Park
    • History Timeline of the Crater of Diamonds
  • State Park - Where do the Diamonds come from?
  • Crater of Diamonds State Park - The Arkansas D-Diamond Mine
 
 

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