February diamond finds far ahead of 2008 totals at Crater
By Waymon Cox
Greeting from Crater of Diamonds State Park! Last month saw a large jump in paid visitation over February 2008 records. This increase in visitor traffic also drove the current number of diamond finds well past those of last year!
73 newly-discovered diamonds went home with happy owners in February 2009, while only 23 were found during February ‘08. This early rise in 2009 diamond finds resulted in 115 diamonds being found during the first two months of this year, while only 79 were found before March 1, 2008.
These increases in visitation and finds indicate a great season to come! Murfreesboro is once again becoming a different place as March progresses and spring break travelers roll into town. If you didn’t know where the Crater was, looking at license plates in our parking area this time of year would be of little help, as families from surrounding states spend sunny days digging for diamonds. These amateur diamond miners take stories of their experiences here home with them, helping spread Crater awareness world-wide!
Field Last Plowed: February 25, 2009
Diamond Finds for March 2 - 8, 2009
March 2 - Tristan Wagner, Fairbanks, AK, 3 pt. white; Kimberly Streeter, Fairbanks, AK, 8 pt. yellow
March 3 - Glenn Worthington, Springdale, AR, .6 pt. white, 3 pt. white, 4 pt. white, 6 pt. white, 30 pt. white; Andrea Imhoff, Appleton, WI, 5 pt. white; David Anderson, Kent City, MI, 14 pt. white; Billy Moore, Alma, AR, 3 pt. white, 5 pt. white, 74 pt. white
March 4 - Denis Tyrrell, Bismarck, AR, 8 pt. yellow, 9 pt. yellow
March 5 - Denis Tyrrell, Bismarck, AR, 3 pt. brown, 6 pt. white, 8 pt. yellow; Christopher Conners, Poughquag, NY, 6 pt. white; Chad Johnson, Murfreesboro, AR, 4 pt. white, 35 pt. yellow, 46 pt. white
March 6 - Ronald Duguay, West Paris, MA, 11 pt. white, 46 pt. white; David Anderson, Kent, MI, 6 pt. white
March 7 - Matt Hageman, Chicago, IL, 10 pt. brown; Margaret Patridge, St. Cloud, MN, 38 pt. white
March 8 - Zoe Zimmerman, San Antonio, TX, 3 pt. white, 10 pt. white; Anand Ahuja, San Antonio, TX, 7 pt. white; Denis Tyrrell, Bismarck, AR, 3 pt. white, 9 pt. white
