Muddy Diamonds - Part 2

We started our adventure at the Crater of Diamonds State Park after lunch. It had rained all morning, so Summer was convinced that we’d have amazing luck today. Her theory was that the rain would wash the dirt away and leave the rocks and gems sitting on the surface. But all it really did was make everything muddy. Everyone else must have had the same idea though, because the place was packed to the gills.

The dig site was pretty uninspiring. Imagine a very large open field of black muddy, dirt tilled into rows. Much like farm land. Several puddles dotted the landscape and a few lazy tributaries snaked around the edges and into shallow ditches. It was in one of these ditches that we began our dig. The theory was that we’d have water to wash off the dirt without having to trudge over to the cleaning troughs on the other side of the field.

It was a decent theory, especially since the dig consisted of mostly sludging wet mud into your sifting pan and shaking it in the water to see if anything turned up. The problem was that the mud didn’t come off easily, so it was still nearly impossible to see what you had. And considering that we were looking for diamonds and gem stones the size of a grain of rice, it was an immediately discouraging exercise.

Summer and I pulled out a lot of “trash” rocks, but nothing valuable. The kids lost interest after about three minutes, and they hooked up with other groups of kids to simply play in the mud and water. Rick and my wife watched it all from their chairs in the shade.

After lunch, Summer and I decided to try the other side of the field. She seemed determined to repeat the luck she’d had the last time she’d come. By that point, I wasn’t so interested, but I wanted to keep her company. We half-heartedly dug in the mud while we shared stories about our lives. Honestly, I think I enjoyed the conversation much more than the dig experience.

We came away empty-handed, unless you’re counting the five tons of mud stuck to our shoes, clothes, chairs, and carts. The kids were satiated by getting to buy something in the gift shop, so they got a gem without having to put in the work! But it was an interesting experience nonetheless. I’m not sure how likely we’d be to do it again, but I think dry dirt would be easier to handle.