Crater of Diamonds State Park

<h2 id="history">History</h2>

In August 1906, John Huddleston found two strange crystals on the surface of his 243-acre farm near <a href="/facts/Murfreesboro%2c_Arkansas/WxMk0bB4">Murfreesboro, Arkansas</a>. The following month, Huddleston and his wife, Sarah, sold an option on the property to a group of Little Rock investors headed by banker-attorney Samuel F. (Sam) Reyburn, who undertook a careful test of the property. From the sub-surface diamond matrix, Reyburn's team extracted about two carats per hundred short tons of material (the standard tram-cart loads, each carrying about 1,600 pounds of material). Federal testing in 1943-1944 and State sponsored testing in the 1990s produced virtually the same result.
After 1906, several attempts at commercial diamond mining failed. The only significant yields came from the original surface layer on the east half of the Crater -- a black and sticky gumbo clay ranging from about one to four feet thick. Natural erosion, rocks, and vegetation had concentrated diamonds there over a long period of time.
In the early era, 1907–1932, companies finally gave up on conventional processing and adopted hydraulic mining to break down the black gumbo. That method was employed on a grand scale in California, to extract gold, and was already being used by one of Reyburn's competitors on six acres at the north end of the Arkansas diamond field. Available photos of Reyburn's property show large hoses spurting pressurized water, which carried material through sluice boxes where diamonds and other heavy minerals were concentrated for screening. Field crews also screened the pools of silt at the end of sluice boxes.
In Sam Reyburn's hydraulic testing, the "black gumbo" surface material often yielded about thirty carats per hundred loads, a very high number compared with diamond fields generally. No doubt many diamonds were lost in that process, including some large ones. In 1908 and 1943-1944, careful testing of the underlying volcanic breccia found about two carats per 100 tons. Pit testing sponsored by the State of Arkansas in the 1990s found virtually the same yield.
Because equipment of the early period usually included bottom screens with mesh larger than 1/16th inch, thousands of smaller diamonds were allowed to pass through during testing. The bulk of these ended up in shallow drainage cuts all over the diamond field and in the big natural drains on its east and west edges. Since the State of Arkansas acquired the Crater, in 1972, regular plowing on the east side has marked the main field, 30 to 35 acres of easily eroded breccia. In recent decades, the old east and west drains have been especially fruitful for recreational diamond diggers. The regular diggers have worked especially hard for recoveries from the east drain, about ten feet deep: runoff from the field buried much of that channel during the early era; bulldozers finished the job while preparing access for a later test. Notable diamonds from the bottom of the east drain include the flawless white Strawn-Wagner diamond, weighing 3.03 carats in the rough. Shirley Strawn of Murfreesboro, Arkansas, came up with this celebrated gem in 1990.
Huddleston's finds in 1906 hardly created a "boomtown" atmosphere around Murfreesboro. According to old tales, hotels in Murfreesboro turned away 10,000 people in the space of a year. Supposedly, aspiring diamond miners formed a "tent city' near the diamond field and named it "Kimberly" in honor of the famous Kimberley diamond district in South Africa. On the other hand, all available evidence indicates that the Town of Kimberly originated as a land-development venture in 1909, initiated by Mallard M. Mauney and his oldest son, Walter, on their land immediately south of Murfreesboro. The project failed soon afterward as speculative publicity generated by the diamond discovery collapsed. There is no evidence of a tent city. Today, the Kimberly area is almost all cow pasture owned by Mauney's descendants. As for any general diamond fever, that never developed: previous diamond-mining swindles in the American West had generated widespread skepticism. Before the State-sponsored testing of the 1990s, many observers still believed the Crater of Diamonds was "salted."
During WWII the U.S. government took control of the diamond field and enlisted the Glen Martin corporation to extract diamonds for industrial use. Although diamonds were obtained, the yield remained about the same as earlier tests, and even the federal government thought that would be too costly for mining.
After the war, the property reverted to the private owners. From 1951 to 1972, the crater hosted several private tourist attractions. The first, The Diamond Preserve of the United States, lasted about one year. In late 1951, Howard A. Millar stepped in and salvaged the infant tourist industry. In April 1952, Millar and his wife, Modean, launched their tourist attraction on a small north section of the diamond-producing field. Howard Millar, an accomplished writer and promoter, stirred unprecedented national publicity and drew enough visitors to sustain the operation. In March 1956, a visitor found the "<a href="/facts/Star_of_Arkansas/ECa0NCmD">Star of Arkansas</a>" on the cleared surface. That rare beauty, clean and brilliant in the raw, weighed 15.33|carats, enough to generate unprecedented national publicity.
Later, Roscoe Johnston opened a rival tourist attraction, the "Arkansas Diamond Mine", on the main part of the diamond field. The rivalry between the two operations left both in a weakened position. In 1970, the entire volcanic formation was consolidated by a private partnership, which then reassigned the property to General Earth Minerals (GEM) of Dallas, Texas. GEM expected to turn the property over for a profit, but ended up heavily indebted to GF Industries (GFI) of Dallas. Upon default, GFI took the property in July 1971.
GEM consolidated the tourist operations as well as the property. GFI continued the attraction until it sold the 80-acre volcanic formation and a surrounding 800 acres to the State of Arkansas, in March 1972. The price: $750,000. The tourist operation continued as the centerpiece of Crater of Diamonds State Park.
Understandably, this special gem became closely associated with the State of Arkansas, "The Natural State." A large diamond symbol has dominated the state flag since 1912. The federal government issued an Arkansas State quarter coin in 2003. It bore a diamond symbol on its face, as did new Arkansas auto license plates.

<h2 id="geology">Geology</h2>

The Crater of Diamonds is part of a 100-million-year-old eroded volcanic formation (a <a href="/facts/Volcanic_pipe/qtfSfHH1">volcanic pipe</a>). The deeply sourced <a href="/facts/Kimberlite/y56KRjuR">Kimberlite</a>/<a href="/facts/Lamproite/V739vCuA">Lamproite</a> magma brought the diamonds to the surface. The diamonds had crystallized in the relatively stable <a href="/facts/Craton/fSuY37IC">cratonic root</a> of the continent long before and were sampled by the magma as it rose to the surface.
The geology of the area and the diamond formation process itself were the subjects of the Ph.D. dissertation of Roland Everett Langford in 1973 of the <a href="/facts/University_of_Georgia/SkqyQmok">University of Georgia</a>. In it, he proposed a gas phase reaction from the reduction of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in the <a href="/facts/Upper_mantle/5I9jq18K">upper mantle</a>. The dissertation was on display at the state park for many years.
More recent research by geologist Dennis Dunn (Ph.D. dissertation 2002) found that the diamondiferous epiclastic rocks range from olivine lamproite to <a href="/facts/Phlogopite/rTJ3HeFy">phlogopite</a> and olivine-rich tuffs. The chemistry of the mantle <a href="/facts/Xenolith/nP1MlHvG">xenolith</a> was used to derive maximum pressures of around 5 GPa and temperatures of 1000 °C for the upper mantle origin of the lamproitic magma.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2">2</a>
The lamproite diamond source is unusual, as almost all diamonds are mined from kimberlite formations and from alluvial deposits of diamonds weathered from that "hardrock" source. The most prominent lamproite diamond source is the <a href="/facts/Argyle_diamond_mine/jConCfY0">Argyle diamond mine</a> in Australia. It is notable that the physical characteristics of Australian lamproite and the Arkansas deposit differ markedly. From the discovery in 1906 into the 1960s, the historical record shows that geologists consistently classified the Arkansas deposit as Kimberlite.

<h2 id="recreation">Recreation</h2>

Crater of Diamonds State Park is known for the 37.5-acre (15.2 ha) plowed field on which visitors can hunt for diamonds and other semi-precious gems. On average, two diamonds are found per day by park visitors.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a> A visitor center contains information about the geology of the park, a gift shop, and a cafe. Interested visitors can continue to the Diamond Discovery Center, which offers an interpretive look at prospecting for diamonds. The Diamond Springs aquatic playground, enclosed pavilion, trails, and picnic areas surround the diamond field.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a> The park offers campers 47 Class AAA facilities near the <a href="/facts/Little_Missouri_River_(Arkansas)/r80M0Ald">Little Missouri River</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a>

<h3>Diamond mine</h3>
Crater of Diamonds State Park is situated over an eroded <a href="/facts/Lamproite/V739vCuA">lamproite</a> <a href="/facts/Volcanic_pipe/qtfSfHH1">volcanic pipe</a>. The park is open to the public and, for a small fee, <a href="/facts/Rockhound/8UyfwnGa">rockhounds</a> and visitors can dig for diamonds and other <a href="/facts/Gemstone/kHffmvE3">gemstones</a>. Park visitors find more than 600 diamonds each year of all colors and grades.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a> As of 2015, over 75,000 diamonds had been found in the crater.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a> Visitors may keep any gemstone they find regardless of its value.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a>
In addition to diamonds, visitors may find semi-precious gems such as <a href="/facts/Amethyst/CWCPKKrk">amethyst</a>, <a href="/facts/Agate/1E9v6Jxp">agate</a>, and <a href="/facts/Jasper/smwAdKc0">jasper</a> or approximately 40 other minerals such as <a href="/facts/Garnet/kqh2lWQI">garnet</a>, <a href="/facts/Phlogopite/rTJ3HeFy">phlogopite</a>, <a href="/facts/Quartz/4n86tE2G">quartz</a>, <a href="/facts/Baryte/G6frVDl5">baryte</a>, and <a href="/facts/Calcite/gKMHYQJo">calcite</a>.

<h2 id="notable-diamonds-found">Notable diamonds found</h2>
<table><tbody><tr><th>Year</th><th>Diamond Name</th><th>Image</th><th>Weight (carat)</th><th>Weight (gram)</th><th>Color</th><th>Finder</th><th>Notes</th></tr><tr><td>1917</td><td><a href="/facts/Canary_Diamond/7UHMoBG3">Canary</a></td><td></td><td>17.86</td><td>3.572</td><td>canary yellow</td><td>Lee J. Wagner of the Arkansas Diamond Company</td><td>Donated in 1926 to the <a href="/facts/National_Museum_of_Natural_History/nn6mUbfE">National Museum of Natural History</a> by the heirs of <a href="/facts/Washington_Roebling/2ATh0Qu3">Washington Roebling</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12">12</a></td></tr><tr><td>1924</td><td><a href="/facts/Uncle_Sam_(diamond)/6BQNmyK8">Uncle Sam</a></td><td></td><td>40.23</td><td>8.046</td><td></td><td>Wesley Oley Basham</td><td>Largest diamond ever discovered in the United States; as of 2022 in the collection of the <a href="/facts/National_Museum_of_Natural_History/nn6mUbfE">Smithsonian</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13">13</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14">14</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15">15</a></td></tr><tr><td>1956</td><td><a href="/facts/Star_of_Arkansas/ECa0NCmD">Star of Arkansas</a></td><td></td><td>15.33</td><td>3.066</td><td></td><td>Winifred Parker<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16">16</a></td></tr><tr><td>1964</td><td><a href="/facts/Star_of_Murfreesboro/uz9SPdT6">Star of Murfreesboro</a></td><td></td><td>34.25</td><td>6.850</td><td></td><td>John Pollock</td><td>Largest diamond ever found by a tourist in the Arkansas area; it was valued at $15,000 in 1964.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17">17</a></td></tr><tr><td>1975</td><td><a href="/facts/Amarillo_Starlight/v3xfBqe7">Amarillo Starlight</a></td><td></td><td>16.37</td><td>3.274</td><td></td><td>W. W. Johnson</td><td>Cut into a 7.54 carats (1.508 g) marquise.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18">18</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19">19</a></td></tr><tr><td>1977</td><td>Kahn Canary</td><td></td><td>4.25</td><td>0.850</td><td>canary yellow</td><td>George Stepp</td><td>Uncut and naturally flawless. Set by <a href="/facts/Henry_Dunay/S6vL9ry7">Dunay</a> into a ring for <a href="/facts/Hillary_Clinton/dPzm9ru4">Hillary Clinton</a> for a <a href="/facts/First_inauguration_of_Bill_Clinton/28zqskWl">1993 inaugural ball</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20">20</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21">21</a></td></tr><tr><td>1981</td><td><a href="/facts/Star_of_Shreveport/ECa0NCmD">Star of Shreveport</a></td><td></td><td>8.82</td><td>1.764</td><td></td><td>Carroll Blankenship</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1990</td><td><a href="/facts/Strawn-Wagner_Diamond/FfLBAVga">Strawn-Wagner Diamond</a></td><td></td><td>3.09</td><td>0.618</td><td>white</td><td>Shirley Strawn</td><td>Found by a local resident, graded perfect.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22">22</a> In the collection of the park.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23">23</a></td></tr><tr><td>2015</td><td><a href="/facts/Esperanza_Diamond/ECa0NCmD">Esperanza Diamond</a></td><td></td><td>8.52</td><td>1.704</td><td>Type IIa, D IF</td><td>Bobbie Oskarson</td><td>Flawless or near flawless. Cut and polished in Arkansas by <a href="/facts/Mike_Botha/96KDRVmX">Mike Botha</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24">24</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25">25</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26">26</a> After cutting and polishing it was to be set by Erica Courtney then auctioned by <a href="/facts/Heritage_Auctions/PS9qoxLj">Heritage Auctions</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27">27</a></td></tr><tr><td>2024</td><td>Carine Diamond</td><td></td><td>7.46</td><td>1.492</td><td>Chocolate</td><td>Julien Navas</td><td>Chocolate-colored. Eighth-largest diamond found in the United States. Found by Julien Navas for his wedding ring for his fiancée Carine Eizlini<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28">28</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:29" href="#fn:29">29</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:30" href="#fn:30">30</a></td></tr></tbody></table>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Kelsey_Lake_Diamond_Mine/aQkeCAAB">Kelsey Lake Diamond Mine</a>, now-defunct similar commercial operation in <a href="/facts/Colorado/IgIHrJI5">Colorado</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Pike_County%2c_Arkansas/p4nv03tD">National Register of Historic Places listings in Pike County, Arkansas</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/List_of_diamonds/h2HwsP6n">List of diamonds</a></li></ul>

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Crater of Diamonds State Park.

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">Staff of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism (February 14, 2011). "Crater of Diamonds State Park". The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. The Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved October 2, 2021. <a href="https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/crater-of-diamonds-state-park-11/" target="_blank">https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/crater-of-diamonds-state-park-11/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">Dunn, Dennis Patrick (December 2002). "Xenolith Mineralogy and Geology of the Prairie Creek Lamproite Province, Arkansas" (PDF). The University of Texas at Austin. <a href="https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/554/dunndp029.pdf" target="_blank">https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/554/dunndp029.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">"Crater of Diamonds State Park" (PDF). Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 11, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2012. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120211234344/http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/images/pdfs/pibs/CRATERDM-03.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20120211234344/http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/images/pdfs/pibs/CRATERDM-03.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">"Crater of Diamonds State Park". Arkansas State Parks Guide, 2011. Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. p. 19. Retrieved February 21, 2012. <a href="http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aristotle/arkansasstateparks2011/" target="_blank">http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aristotle/arkansasstateparks2011/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">"Crater of Diamonds State Park" (PDF). Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 11, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2012. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120211234344/http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/images/pdfs/pibs/CRATERDM-03.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20120211234344/http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/images/pdfs/pibs/CRATERDM-03.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">"Crater of Diamonds State Park Enjoying Spotlight". Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Retrieved January 17, 2012. <a href="http://www.arkansasmediaroom.com/news-releases/listings/display.aspx?id=816" target="_blank">http://www.arkansasmediaroom.com/news-releases/listings/display.aspx?id=816</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">Edwards, Jay (August 5, 2019). "John Huddleston and his crater of diamonds". Daily Record. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="https://www.dailyrecord.us/john-huddleston-and-his-crater-of-diamonds" target="_blank">https://www.dailyrecord.us/john-huddleston-and-his-crater-of-diamonds</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">Edwards, Jay (August 5, 2019). "John Huddleston and his crater of diamonds". Daily Record. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="https://www.dailyrecord.us/john-huddleston-and-his-crater-of-diamonds" target="_blank">https://www.dailyrecord.us/john-huddleston-and-his-crater-of-diamonds</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">"Crater of Diamonds State Park Enjoying Spotlight". Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Retrieved January 17, 2012. <a href="http://www.arkansasmediaroom.com/news-releases/listings/display.aspx?id=816" target="_blank">http://www.arkansasmediaroom.com/news-releases/listings/display.aspx?id=816</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">"Discovering the Uncle Sam | Arkansas State Parks". www.arkansasstateparks.com. July 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/articles/discovering-uncle-sam" target="_blank">http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/articles/discovering-uncle-sam</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:11">"Smithsonian's Great American Diamonds Exhibit". www.gia.edu. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="http://www.gia.edu/sites/Satellite?c=Page&cid=1495335524921&childpagename=GIA/Page/GGArticleDetail&pagename=GIA/Wrapper&WRAPPERPAGE=GIA/Wrapper" target="_blank">http://www.gia.edu/sites/Satellite?c=Page&cid=1495335524921&childpagename=GIA/Page/GGArticleDetail&pagename=GIA/Wrapper&WRAPPERPAGE=GIA/Wrapper</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:12">"New Smithsonian Exhibit Showcases Extraordinary American Diamonds". Smithsonian Institution. June 8, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/new-smithsonian-exhibit-showcases-extraordinary-american-diamonds" target="_blank">https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/new-smithsonian-exhibit-showcases-extraordinary-american-diamonds</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:13">"Crater of Diamonds State Park | Arkansas State Parks". www.arkansasstateparks.com. February 19, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/crater-diamonds-state-park" target="_blank">http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/crater-diamonds-state-park</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:14">Edwards, Jay (August 5, 2019). "John Huddleston and his crater of diamonds". Daily Record. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="https://www.dailyrecord.us/john-huddleston-and-his-crater-of-diamonds" target="_blank">https://www.dailyrecord.us/john-huddleston-and-his-crater-of-diamonds</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:15">"Discovering the Uncle Sam | Arkansas State Parks". www.arkansasstateparks.com. July 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/articles/discovering-uncle-sam" target="_blank">http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/articles/discovering-uncle-sam</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:16">"5th largest diamond unearthed after 20 minutes at Crater of Diamonds State Park". June 29, 2016. <a href="https://swarkansasnews.com/2016/06/5th-largest-diamond-unearthed-after-20-minutes-at-crater-of-diamonds-state-park/" target="_blank">https://swarkansasnews.com/2016/06/5th-largest-diamond-unearthed-after-20-minutes-at-crater-of-diamonds-state-park/</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:17">Edwards, Jay (August 5, 2019). "John Huddleston and his crater of diamonds". Daily Record. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="https://www.dailyrecord.us/john-huddleston-and-his-crater-of-diamonds" target="_blank">https://www.dailyrecord.us/john-huddleston-and-his-crater-of-diamonds</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:18">"Crater of Diamonds State Park | Arkansas State Parks". www.arkansasstateparks.com. February 19, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/crater-diamonds-state-park" target="_blank">http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/crater-diamonds-state-park</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:19">Edwards, Jay (August 5, 2019). "John Huddleston and his crater of diamonds". Daily Record. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="https://www.dailyrecord.us/john-huddleston-and-his-crater-of-diamonds" target="_blank">https://www.dailyrecord.us/john-huddleston-and-his-crater-of-diamonds</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:20">"NEW FIRST LADY TO WEAR UNCUT DIAMOND AT INAUGURAL BALL". Deseret News. January 12, 1993. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="https://www.deseret.com/1993/1/12/19026369/new-first-lady-to-wear-uncut-diamond-at-inaugural-ball" target="_blank">https://www.deseret.com/1993/1/12/19026369/new-first-lady-to-wear-uncut-diamond-at-inaugural-ball</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:21">"HOW COULD HE? HOW CAN SHE?". Chicago Tribune. February 15, 1998. <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-02-15-9802150232-story.html" target="_blank">https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-02-15-9802150232-story.html</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:22">"Digging Arkansas Diamonds". www.jetsettersmagazine.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2009. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090310034251/http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/cabinweb/arkansas/crater/diamonds.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20090310034251/http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/cabinweb/arkansas/crater/diamonds.html</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:23">"Keep What You Find at the Crater of Diamonds Park". VOA. October 27, 2009. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2007-02-13-voa29-66539007/554199.html" target="_blank">https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2007-02-13-voa29-66539007/554199.html</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:24">KSLA Staff. "Large diamond found at Arkansas's Crater of Diamonds State Park". Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150628213419/http://www.ktre.com/story/29418422/large-diamond-found-at-arkansass-crater-of-diamonds-state-park" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20150628213419/http://www.ktre.com/story/29418422/large-diamond-found-at-arkansass-crater-of-diamonds-state-park</a> <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:25">Haymes, Linda (September 27, 2015). "Master diamond cutter transforms gem found in state park". Arkansas Online. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021. <a href="https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2015/sep/27/master-diamond-cutter-transforms-gem-fo/" target="_blank">https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2015/sep/27/master-diamond-cutter-transforms-gem-fo/</a> <a href="#fnref:25" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:26">"Longmont woman finds hefty gem at Arkansas park". June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015. <a href="http://www.timescall.com/longmont-local-news/ci_28390719/longmont-woman-finds-hefty-gem-at-arkansas-park" target="_blank">http://www.timescall.com/longmont-local-news/ci_28390719/longmont-woman-finds-hefty-gem-at-arkansas-park</a> <a href="#fnref:26" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:27">De Almeida, Jacquie (August 26, 2015). "Canada's Embee Diamonds to cut 'Crater' diamond". Jewellery Business. Retrieved January 27, 2023. <a href="https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/news/canada-s-embee-diamonds-to-cut-crater-diamond/" target="_blank">https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/news/canada-s-embee-diamonds-to-cut-crater-diamond/</a> <a href="#fnref:27" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:28">Sachs, Andrea (February 1, 2024). "French tourist unearths 7.46-carat diamond at Arkansas state park". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 2, 2024. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/01/26/arkansas-crater-of-diamonds-park-french-tourist/" target="_blank">https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/01/26/arkansas-crater-of-diamonds-park-french-tourist/</a> <a href="#fnref:28" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:29">Angeles, Keiran Southern, Los (January 25, 2024). "French tourist finds diamond in the rough at US state park". The Times. Retrieved October 2, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/french-tourist-finds-diamond-in-the-rough-at-us-state-park-nwh0cz9fg" target="_blank">https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/french-tourist-finds-diamond-in-the-rough-at-us-state-park-nwh0cz9fg</a> <a href="#fnref:29" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:30">Murray, Kelly (January 27, 2024). "Visitor finds huge 7.46-carat diamond in Crater of Diamonds State Park". CNN. Retrieved October 2, 2024. <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/27/travel/arkansas-diamond-state-park-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/27/travel/arkansas-diamond-state-park-trnd/index.html</a> <a href="#fnref:30" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Crater of Diamonds State Park open-in-new

Crater of Diamonds State Park