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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:
|
Dates of Diamond
Discoveries |
Famous Diamonds found at Crater of Diamonds State Park |
|
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
|
|
Dates of Diamond
Discoveries |
Famous 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:
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Modern campgrounds, restrooms and picnic areas
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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 Park |
Timeline & 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 |
|
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 |
|
Dates & History
Crater of
Diamonds State Park |
Timeline & 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
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