horsinaround
spending too much on rocks
If you don't lick rocks...you ain't cool
Member since November 2006
Posts: 315
|
Post by horsinaround on Dec 3, 2008 10:52:20 GMT -5
Hi everyone, it's been along time since I posted anyhting on here. I have been disabled and not able to get around much. last week my sister and her husband and my niece came to oklahoma form florida to visit for the week. We made a trip over to the crater of diamonds in Arkansas. Wow what a place acres of plowed areas to dig and walk around and find all kinds of rocks. We did not find any diamond, but did find Quartz, red jasper, yellow jasper(lots of both) and lots of Agates. there is supposed to be a vien of amethist but at that time we could not find any, but we do know where to look for it.
The cost was very inexpensive to go into the park. it is $3.50 for children 12 and under and $6.50 for adults. you can bring you own tools and buckets or you can rent or buy them there.
I found enough rocks to keep my tumblers going until my wife has another long weekend off work and we are planning a 2 day adventure there. it is handicap accessible for those of you who my need a wheel; chair to get around like me. I was able to park my wheel chair along the long rows that were plowed and from there I got out of my chair and used my cane to get along nicely there.
if anyone has a chance to go, it is well worth the time to check it out. you can get many rocks for tumbling and collecting and good luck on the diamonds.
hope to hear back from anyone planning on going soon...maybe we could meet you there.
thanks
Steve & Betty
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on Dec 3, 2008 15:26:46 GMT -5
I would love to see some pictures of the other stuff you found. The slim chance of finding a diamond always made me hesitate on going. Maybe the other stuff will tip the scale.
|
|
navi
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 229
|
Post by navi on Dec 3, 2008 17:13:41 GMT -5
no joke. there is/was a man from texarkana, who went to the c.o.d. every week day, all his life. he put his children and grandchildren thru college, from the diamonds he found there. never 'worked' a day in his life. i met him once. he wouldn't show me (nor anyone else) his technique.
most of the diamonds there, that have been found are on the small side and brown. but..........good ones have been found. the tip of the surface has only been scratched. i know that the company that runs out of austrailia has wanted to buy the area for decades. apparently, the world's mother load of diamonds is there.
i'm actually shocked that arkansas hasn't sold the land, or started it's own full scale operation there.
i haven't been there in around 15 years, but hope to return next year!!!!
|
|
UtahRockHound
spending too much on rocks
Sometimes your the Windshield, sometimes your the Rock.
Member since May 2008
Posts: 301
|
Post by UtahRockHound on Dec 7, 2008 12:37:20 GMT -5
Horsinaround, I am glad you were able to make it there. If your like me, a good hounding venture is like a healing spring. You just feel so much better when you can search and explore.
On the Cash and Treasures show, the done one on a lady doing the same thing with Star Garnets in Idaho. Everyday she can, she is at the dig site. Has her own shop, and all she does is polish Star Garnets. Not sure I could polish the same thing over and over day after day for years. I like variety.
The area I live in has a rich history of volcanic activity. There is one deposit of Kimberlite/Volcanic Tube I have wanted to check out since I moved here 30 years ago. I tried once, but could not make it up the cliff side. I have since heard of a trail the comes in from the top. I am thinking this spring of trying to get to it again, and check it for Diamonds.
|
|
morticiamonroe
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2008
Posts: 147
|
Post by morticiamonroe on Dec 8, 2008 16:38:28 GMT -5
Hey there horsin'
I'm glad you had a good time there, it's a place I plan to visit next spring when the digging aint so cold.
If you go a little further up the road from Prescott, to Hot Springs, you can also dig for quartz crystals. I went three times last year and it's my favorite place in the world...I usually go to Coleman's mine, it's $10 a day and you keep all you find. There are plenty of points lying along the ground, and if you're willing to dig in the giant piles of red dirt, you can find some gorgeous (and large) quartz points and clusters. I have some beautiful specimens, and also brought home a good bit of broken quartz to tumble. They have electric hook-ups for mobile homes and everything. And whenever we've been, we were close to being the only ones there. I asked the curator about coming next time in a pickup truck and getting some of the big pieces of both clear and snow quartz lying around to use as decorative pieces on my lawn, flower bed borders, etc, and he encouraged me to c'mon and haul off all I wanted. There's tons of it.
|
|
goldfinger1
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 154
|
Post by goldfinger1 on Dec 9, 2008 11:26:39 GMT -5
no joke. there is/was a man from texarkana, who went to the c.o.d. every week day, all his life. he put his children and grandchildren thru college, from the diamonds he found there. never 'worked' a day in his life. i met him once. he wouldn't show me (nor anyone else) his technique. I wouldn't believe everything you hear.  Steve |
|
navi
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 229
|
Post by navi on Dec 9, 2008 20:55:29 GMT -5
steve, it wasn't hearsay. i MET the man. it's 100% true.
|
|
goldfinger1
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 154
|
Post by goldfinger1 on Dec 10, 2008 10:04:43 GMT -5
Well then - the man was a big liar... No offense.  Steve |
|
navi
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 229
|
Post by navi on Dec 10, 2008 19:45:23 GMT -5
gotta ask you steve, what makes you say this? the guy was featured on a show once, about treasure hunters. might have been 20/20 or 60 minutes (some show like that) back in the early 1990's. that's how i knew who he was before i went up and talked to him.
|
|
goldfinger1
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 154
|
Post by goldfinger1 on Dec 11, 2008 8:01:43 GMT -5
What's this guys name? I have plenty of reference books as well as on-line resources I can use to check this out.
I simply don"t believe anyone can support a family (rent or mortgage, food, car, utilities, insurance etc) for years and then send the kids and grandkids to college solely from digging diamonds at the state park. Given the quality,sizes, frequency of the finds, prices of diamond rough- not to mention the competition from other visitors That's a real tall order. Now if he had a wife working (or a rich wife) as the major breadwinner while he pursued his hobby, that's another story. But the idea of a guy singlehandedly supporting his family for years and putting all the kids and grandkids through college just from diggging diamonds is farfetched to say the very least.
Steve
|
|
navi
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 229
|
Post by navi on Dec 11, 2008 9:11:29 GMT -5
possible that a wife worked. don't know. as i said earlier, i don't remember his name. he is/was a elderly tall, thin black man, that always wore a trademark straw cowboy hat. each of the 3 times i went there, i saw him. once i talked briefly to him. he always worked away from everyone else and in the wooded area, towards the left side of the park.
|
|
goldfinger1
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 154
|
Post by goldfinger1 on Dec 12, 2008 8:29:38 GMT -5
Given what I know about the Crater of Diamonds State Park and everything concerning the diamonds from that area- I think he was pulling everyones leg... Steve |
|
88pathoffroad
spending too much on rocks
Oregon ROCKS!
Member since August 2008
Posts: 305
|
Post by 88pathoffroad on Dec 13, 2008 12:02:29 GMT -5
I saw the Cash and Treasures show where they went to COD park to look for diamonds. There was an old man there with a fold-open display case chock-full of rough diamonds he'd found over the years. You might watch that episode if possible and see if it's the same guy.
|
|
navi
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 229
|
Post by navi on Dec 13, 2008 22:39:26 GMT -5
88, did he meet my description from my earlier post?
|
|
goldfinger1
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 154
|
Post by goldfinger1 on Dec 15, 2008 13:54:20 GMT -5
It's one thing to successfully hunt diamonds at the COD park and it's another to try and support themselves doing so. There have been many attempts to commercialized this area in the past using large equipment which can process tons of dirt per hour. But none of them have ever been successful. If they couldn't make a living and a profit doing it, it's highly improbable a single person could do it. Steve I saw the Cash and Treasures show where they went to COD park to look for diamonds. There was an old man there with a fold-open display case chock-full of rough diamonds he'd found over the years. You might watch that episode if possible and see if it's the same guy. |
|
|
|
Post by snowdog on Dec 17, 2008 13:45:10 GMT -5
yes, that is the same guy ---- and yes he has made a living off of them ! --- think early on he had found a couple of "good" ones that made his "money" and so he was able to keep on digging -- his idea of "wealth" wasn't near as much as your's or mine but he was able to live and do what he wanted
|
|
navi
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 229
|
Post by navi on Dec 18, 2008 0:21:41 GMT -5
|
|
goldfinger1
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 154
|
Post by goldfinger1 on Dec 18, 2008 8:55:33 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by snowdog on Dec 18, 2008 17:41:22 GMT -5
library.thinkquest.org/5008/index.htm ----Steve look this one up ! ;D --- I wouldn't call it "nonsense" --- scroll to the bottom and click on the James Archer interview &/ picture --- says he has found @ 8000 over 25 years of hunting -- he's the one that was on the show -- couple other interviews there with some "decent" numbers too his "ole shack" may be nicer than yours or mine ! ;D ;D and drive his "hummer" to dig every day !
|
|
goldfinger1
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 154
|
Post by goldfinger1 on Dec 19, 2008 8:57:23 GMT -5
I don't see any link for an interview. You divide 8000 by 25 years and you get an average of 320 diamonds per year. According to the park officials- only 1 or 2 are found daily and most are the size of a match head. All I can say is I wouldn't believe everything he says. ;D I don't even see anything on the website that says anything about how many he found. Just like fisherman like to exaggerate the size and number of fish they catch- so do other people. ;D ;D
Besides- this isn't even the same guy Navi was talking about. This guy claims he made living and put his kids and grandkids through college with the diamonds he found. On that website- the kids aren't even in high school. ;D
Steve
|
|
