Your Lucky Vacation
by Lin Stone

    Shirley Strawn carries a shiny rock around with her, just for good luck.. She doesn't know what kind of rock it is, but she knows it is beautiful, and that it is very lucky. Luck is important to Shirley.

    A week after a 4.33 carat diamond found at Crater of Diamonds near Murfreesboro Arkansas turned out to be fake, Shirley was lucky enough to find a real gem there. It was of perfect quality worth right at $38,000. When she found the 3.03 carat diamond did she stop to celebrate?

    "No, it is unlucky to quit before the bell sounds." Shirley stayed there to dig, and it was lucky she did. Two hours later she found a 74 point canary yellow diamond, which are only found at the Crater.

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      These are American diamonds Shirley is finding in the dirt. They are in a -dig-it-yourself diamond mine called the Crater of Diamonds near Murfreesboro in Arkansas. It is the only place in the world where you get to keep all the diamonds you find. For that matter, besides one place in California, the mine at Murfreesboro is the only place diamonds have been found in America.

    Shirley doesn't mind helping other people get lucky. One visitor from Germany got really lucky. She found the largest diamond there since 1972. "I was so happy for her."

    Points and carats are confusing to many. But, points and carats are simply measures of weight. It takes 100 points to equal one carat. One carat is equal to two grams.

  Diamonds are lucky for other people too. James Archer, a digging friend from Nashville, has put his children through college (possibly by using the diamonds he found). He believes in luck too; he believes it is unlucky to tell anybody how many diamonds he has found.

    In 1995 40,013 people came from all around the world to try their luck in the 35 acres of cleared field at the Crater. (The park is actually 888 pine-covered acres along the banks of the Little Missouri River)

    It is an economical expedition for anyone. RV camping spaces are available for $6.50 a night. There are 60 Class A campsites, picnic areas, restaurants, laundry, bath houses, playgrounds and dump station. The Queen of Diamonds looks like the place to stay if you can't rough it at camp. This is a renovated 1902 Victorian home. It will delight you with its authentic furnishing. It is only two miles from the Crater so it is easy to zip out there with the first light of day.

    For Southern variety there are several buffet-type restaurants in town which are just downright friendly.

    Shirley is in love with the Murfreesboro area. "Besides being famous for diamonds, Murfreesboro is centrally located to one large lake and two beautiful rivers. There are hiking trails, great fishing and hunting. On the Little Missouri you can snag a rainbow trout below the dam, while above it, small mouth bass are waiting for you. The nearby Caddo River is regarded as the top small mouth stream in Arkansas."

     To get there from Little Rock go 67 miles south on Interstate 30. At Arkadelphia there is a highly visible sign telling you to follow Highway 26 to visit the Crater of Diamonds. Right after you get off the freeway Highway 26 bears to the left and the signs are not adequate to get you on the right road without some neck-craning. After that, the road there is lined with pines and towering oak. You will also pass through the town of Delight on your way. It is known for being the hometown of Glenn Campbell, the entertainer.

    Shirley doesn't mind the hard work at the mine. The harder Shirley works, the luckier she becomes. For a month and a half she dug seven days a week, first one in, last one out. Shirley once dug for two days and took out 90 buckets of good gravel. It takes three or four months to work the gravel down to what is called a pad.

    Rock hunting in the crater is great for many other stones too. Jasper, agate, quartz, amethyst, calcite, barite, mica, and kimberlite are found in abundance. Mica has a bad reputation of course and is known as Fool's Gold.

    To help the beginners tell the difference, the admissions desk of the mine has samples of diamonds and the other gems likely to be found there. Many people studying the stones are dismayed though. "I wouldn't know a diamond if I saw one!"

    That is not true, according to Shirley. "When you find a diamond you will immediately know it is a diamond."

    She should know. Shirley was raised hearing diamond mine stories all her life. She grew up wanting to find her grandmother a diamond. Her grandmother's grandfather, Lee Wagner, was a guard for 35 years at the mine. He also had many inventions that helped diamond finders get lucky. Lee's brother-in-law John Huddleston, found the first diamond there in 1906.

    It was John's land back in those days. He found a 4.5 and a 3 carat white diamond in one afternoon on his farm. Immediately after his discovery he sold the 160 acre farm for $36,000 to Samuel Winston Rayburn, president of Little Rock Union Trust Company.

    After changing hands several times, the Crater was purchased by the state in 1972 and made into a State Park. On the books it is not an outstanding source of revenue. In 1995 the operating expenses were $518,070 while the revenues were only $475,991 which may explain the political movement to lease the mine out to a commercial developer again. Shirley and other enthusiasts are dead set against the plan.

    "The diamond mine might have lost money at the gate, but those 40,000 people spent a whole lot of money elsewhere, on motels, food, gas, and entertainment. This mine is the only place in the world that you can dig for diamonds and keep all you find, legally anyway. We need to keep it open to the public."

    Shirley has dug up samples of most of the gems found there, and says that you can find garnets at the mine too. "In fact, when you get down to the garnets that is the best indicator in the world that you will find a diamond nearby."

    Down there among the garnets Shirley has found a one-carat 50 silver cape, a really rare diamond It was the only silver cape found in 20 years. She has a small red diamond, which is also very rare. In fact, there are only three known finds of red diamonds. "The most common diamonds are clear white, yellow and brown."

    Just how good are these American diamonds? Are they as hard as the commercial diamonds pouring out of Africa? "Well," says Shirley. "When your African diamond gets too tough to cut with another African diamond, you can call in an American diamond to finish the job."

    It's a fact. American diamonds are 20% harder than African diamonds. More importantly, says Shirley, "Finding American diamonds is luckier."

    The end

This is now available as a FREE illustrated book you can give to your friends.  RIGHT Click HERE to start the download.

About the author:  Lin Stone maintains a National Directory of the best health insurance companies on the web and a National Directory of the best car insurance companies on the web. Hundreds of his other articles are available for free reading on the Internet. Just Click HERE to see an index to his works.