Exit78 Photo of the Day #61
Open for public digging in the dirt for diamonds, Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas, January 29, 2011 (Pentax K-r)
We didn’t look for any diamonds when we visited Crater of Diamonds. Getting there and back takes a good part of a day no matter which way you go, so if we were ever to do some diamond digging, we’d have to camp overnight in the park’s campground or stay somewhere else that’s near.
It’s not free. There is a fee to dig.
Crater of Diamonds State Park (Wikipedia) is a 911-acre (369 ha) Arkansas state park in Pike County, Arkansas, in the United States. The park features a 37.5-acre (15.2 ha) plowed field, the world’s only diamond-bearing site accessible to the public. Diamonds have continuously been discovered in the field since 1906, including the Strawn-Wagner Diamond. The site became a state park in 1972 after the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism purchased the site from the Arkansas Diamond Company and Ozark Diamond Mines Corporation, who had operated the site as a tourist attraction previously.
Series notes:
- The photos in this series are (usually) randomly selected from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Exit78 Photo of the Day.
- Each photo in this series is an “original work” – a copyright term – of Michael Goad.
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Supposing you had dug for diamonds and found one or more, who would be the owners? How does the commercial relationship between the digger and the owner of the site work?
Rummuser recently posted…Georgia On My Mind.
The owner of the site is the state of Arkansas. If you find a diamond, you own it, not the state.
There is a fee for going out into the field to search, whether you find something or not.
Mike recently posted…Dead Wood
That’s a great idea. I had never heard of it. Thanks!
Cheerful Monk recently posted…Busy Day!
Interestingly, many Arkansas drivers have an “Arkansas diamond.” The standard license plate in Arkansas includes a diamond in the center of the plate. http://www.theus50.com/arkansas/license.php
Mike recently posted…Dead Wood
Hi Mike – I bet it’s a great catch for some youngsters (as well as oldies) … but diamond or not … I think I’ll stay off my knees! Interesting though – cheers Hilary
Hilary recently posted…K is for Klee Wyck …
The low probability of finding a diamond — most visitors don’t — makes it less desirable than other things I could be doing. I doubt if we’ll ever spend any time out in that field.
One online reviewer gave the park a negative review because they charged a fee and complained that it was too hot. The park is very up front about the fee and, so far as it being hot, what does she expect on a summer day in the American South?
Mike recently posted…Autocross