MURFREESBORO, Ark. — Rain or shine, visitors keep coming to Crater of Diamonds State Park in southwest Arkansas, hoping to uncover buried treasure in the dirt.
“I would say it’s hot,” one visitor said. “And it’s dirty.”
At first glance, the plowed field near Murfreesboro may not look remarkable. But for generations, geologists, amateur rockhounds and curious tourists have been drawn to the site, known as the only public diamond mine in the United States where visitors can keep whatever they find.
The land was formed by volcanic activity, and prospectors recognized as early as the 1800s that the area was unique. Diamonds were first discovered there in 1906…