Wet sifting

Currently In:  Memphis
Heading to Bull Shoals, AR in a few days


For a change of pace, Johnny and I drove away from Hot Springs toward an unusual state park.

In 1906 a farmer named John Huddleston owned a portion of the crater and found the first diamonds here. He sold his farmland to a group of investors who incorporated the first of many diamond companies in this area. One of those companies, Kimberlite Diamond Mining and Washing Company from 1911,  mined diamonds here for over 50 years.  This is their (restored) building that covers a 60 foot deep shaft.

Looking for diamonds continues today!  It's a great family activity.

People brings buckets of dirt to the wash area and wet sift (get the dirt to run through the screen) and look through the remaining rocks to see if anything shiny shows up.  Over 33,000 diamonds have been found since this area became a state park in 1972, including a 40 carat stone!

We thought we would try our hand.  Johnny filled our bucket with dirt.

I put the screens through the wash and sifted through the screens.

No rest for the weary - today's lunch spot!

Alas, no gems.  But it was a lot of work and a lot of fun.

The next day was our last day in Hot Springs and included a hike on Hot Springs Mountain.

We enjoyed the forest.

 This side was steep!

A shelter is provided for folks who want to rest when hiking in the hot summer.

Then we saw a cold spring!

On our way back through town I noticed several historical markers, like this one, on the sidewalk.  Hot Springs has done a marvelous job of staying vibrant by attracting tourists to their town.  Shopping, good restaurants and hotels plus these types of historical trails have helped keep interest high.

That afternoon we sat by Lake Hamilton and enjoyed the sunshine.

Including this paddle boat!

We have not had a campfire in months due to fire concerns in the west, and then cold weather when we eventually made it to Texas.  But we finally got back to it!