In southwest Arkansas, the state government runs what might be the world's most unusual diamond mine. For the price of a movie ticket, anyone can dig for diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park—and keep whatever they find.
The 37-acre search field near Murfreesboro sits atop an ancient volcanic pipe that erupted roughly 100 million years ago. That eruption brought diamonds that formed deep within the Earth's mantle to the surface, where they now wait in the soil for anyone with a garden trowel and patience.
The Crater of Diamonds site hosted multiple commercial mining attempts between 1906 (when John Wesley Huddleston found the first diamonds) and the park's opening in 1972. Several companies tried to make the operation profitable but failed due to the relatively low concentration of diamonds compared to commercial mines elsewhere.
Credit: PaaschPhotography via Getty Images Crater of Diamonds State Park entrance signage.
Arkansas could have leased this land to a mining company. Instead, the state maintains it as the only diamond-producing site in the world where the public can search for diamonds in their original volcanic matrix and keep what they find.
Since Arkansas turned this geological oddity into a state park in 1972, visitors have found more than 35,000 diamonds. The park operates on a simple principle that sounds almost too good to exist in modern America: Everything you find belongs to you, no questions asked, no revenue sharing, no fine print. However, finding diamonds is not as easy as it sounds.
How the search works
The diamond search area at the park consists of plowed dirt that the park staff tills regularly to bring new material to the surface. The park doesn't require special licenses or limit how often you can visit. However, the rules prohibit motor-driven equipment and require that holes be filled before leaving.
A travel blogger named Liz Mays from the blog "Get Lost in the USA" visited the park earlier this year and described seeing families, hobbyists, and experienced diggers with various equipment. Some visitors walked around casually, looking at the ground, while others brought wagons and wheelbarrows to haul supplies. Visitors can rent basic tools from the park on a first-come, first-served basis or bring their own shovels, buckets, and sifting screens.