August 1, 1906 is considered to be the date when a farmer named John Wesley Huddleston discovered diamonds in what is now known as Crater of Diamonds State Park in Pike County, Arkansas.
Huddleston’s sudden discovery of two strange, glittering crystals on his farm permanently changed the geological landscape of North America. Dubbed the “Diamond King,” Huddleston was a humble farmer who lacked the business acumen to manage the massive diamond rush his discovery ignited, eventually selling his diamond-rich land for a modest $36,000 and dying in near poverty. The site sits on the eroded surface of an ancient, volcanic pipe that brought diamonds up from the Earth’s mantle millions of years ago. Today, it remains the only diamond-bearing site in the entire world that is completely open to the general public, maintaining a unique “finders keepers” policy that allows visitors to dig for real gems.
