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:

Diamonds are Forever...
An Impartial Guide to Diamonds

1924: The 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.

1956: The "Star of Arkansas", a white 15.33-carat crystal was found at the Murfreesboro Crater State Park

1967: The 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

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:

Diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park have taken over 100 million years to reach the Murfreesboro diamond field

1906: Farmer 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

1906: M.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

1907: The publicity attracted by the idea of finding free diamonds resulted in the Arkansas Diamond Rush!

1909: A South African diamond mine expert tested the Murfreesboro site confirming that diamonds were found throughout the depths of a 205-foot test shaft

1910: M 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 - 1919: Bemis 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

1919: In 1919 there was a huge fire and all three of the Millar's plants burned down. Arson was strongly suspected but never proved

1949: In 1949 a major attempt was made by the Millar family to open the diamond deposit to the public.

1951: The Millar family opened it in 1951 as the Diamond Preserve of the United States

1951: The 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

1952: Austin Millar's son, Howard, renamed  the Diamond Preserve of the United States as the "Crater of Diamonds."

1964 and 1968: Roscoe 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.

1967: The 1967 Arkansas General Assembly passed legislation designating the diamond as the official gem of the State.

1969: The 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

1972: The 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

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