Gold Prospecting, Treasure Hunting, Mining, Relic Hunting, and Metal Detecting in Arkansas

The Natural State

RELICS

Arkansas has a rich history of early settlements and battlefields - the perfect combination for an energetic relic hunter! See the bottom of this page for links to online maps of engagement areas during the Civil War.

If you have ever thought about diving, though, Matt Mattson at Treasuresites.com contributed the following leads for 1860s shipwreck sites:

November 23, 1861 Near Helena, the side-wheel steamer Tuscarora burns by accident.
June 6, 1862 General Beauregard, a side-wheel steam ram, is sunk 1/4 mile below the Loosahatchie Bar at Memphis, in 20 feet of shoal water. For a period of time after the Battle of Memphis, the General Beauregard remained visable. This ship took a hit in the boiler room and was abandoned in great haste. Nothing saved.
June 6, 1862 the side-wheel steam ram General Thompson is run aground near the General Beauregard and blows up leaving the ship half burried and half sunk. The shore was said to be littered with iron braces and fittings from the violent explosion.
June 6, 1862 the Colonel Lovell, a 521 ton side-wheel steam ram was sunk in deep water, slightly below Loosahatchie Bar in the middle of the Mississippi.
June 16, 1862 the steamer Eliza G., and ships Maurepas, and Mary Patterson are sunk in the White River, near St. Charles.
1863 Confederate gunboat Ponchatrain is destroyed on the Arkansas River at Little Rock to prevent her capture.
January 11, 1863 Towboat Grampus No. 2 is burned and sinks after having steam fittings stripped by Confederate privateers near the boat landing at Mound City. The tug did not sink at the landing, but floated some distance downriver before going under.
February 16, 1863 Union tug Hercules is sunk on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River directly opposite Memphis.

**Buy a great T-Shirt & get more details about diving @ Treasuresites.com**

DIAMONDS

Build a sifter before you come out to the Crater of Diamonds State Park since about 600 diamonds are found here every year! Located south of Murfreesboro in the SW quadrant of the state, this 35 acre public digging area has produced thousands of diamonds ranging up to 40 carats in weight. Contact the local Park Range for more information including maps, facilities, fees, and hours:

Crater of Diamonds State Park
Route 1, Box 364
Murfreesboro, AR 71958
Telephone: (501) 285-3113

Diamond Hunting Tips:

Look for a small, well-rounded crystal. A diamond weighing several carats may be no larger than a marble.
Diamonds have an oily, slick outer surface that dirt or mud will not stick
to, so look for clean crystals.
If you think you have a diamond, hold it carefully in your hand. Once a
diamond is dropped, it usually isn't found again that day.
Diamonds may be any of several colors. The most common found at the
Crater are clear white, yellow and brown.
Bring any stone you think may be a diamond to the Visitor Center for
free weight and certification. Anything you find is yours!

GEMS

To many in the gemstone industry, Arkansas and rock crystal quartz are synonymous. Mount Ida, Fisher Mountain, Hot Springs, and Jessieville names mean quartz crystals to many people, but in fact, they are towns or places in the Arkansas quartz belt. Not only is Arkansas the major producer of gemstone and decorative rock crystal but it is the only producer of "lascas” the feed material used to make synthetic quartz.

The rock crystals are produced from quartz veins in sandstones and shales of the central part of the Ouachita Mountains. The quartz belt is about 240 kilometers long and 24 kilometers wide, extending southwest from near Little Rock all the way to northern Oklahoma. The crystals are beautifully formed with lustrous faces, many have water clear, colorless terminations. Commonly, they are milky in appearance because of inclusions. On large plates of crystals the crystals are often short and stubby, but in smaller crystals it is not unusual for them to have a length that are at least 6 times their diameter. Many of these slender points are used as “gem points” in making earrings and pendants.

Historically, the demand for crystals was from tourists, collectors, interior decorators, carvers, sphere makers, and certain industrial and military applications. However, in recent years the increased use of quartz crystals in the metaphysical field has greatly impacted the demand and price for Arkansas quartz. Another market for the crystals is as feed material to be irradiated to produce smoky quartz. Most smoky quartz from Arkansas is not natural, but is irradiated rock crystal. Although its not the only U.S. producer of rock crystals, Arkansas is by far the largest, its quartz crystal mining industry is measured in millions of dollars per year.

GOLD

Gold may have been first discovered in Arkansas as early as the 1500's, and most has been found in the Ouachita Mountains. This rangeland is mostly composed of National Forest land, so check with the local Forest Ranger for more information, such as maps and regulations.

Placer Deposits

A placer deposit is a concentration of a natural material that has accumulated in unconsolidated sediments of a stream bed, beach, or residual deposit. Gold derived by weathering or other process from lode deposits is likely to accumulate in placer deposits because of its weight and resistance to corrosion. In addition, its characteristically sun-yellow color makes it easily and quickly recognizable even in very small quantities.

The gold pan or miner's pan is a shallow sheet-iron vessel with sloping sides and flat bottom used to wash gold-bearing gravel or other material containing heavy minerals. The process of washing material in a pan, referred to as "panning," is the simplest, most commonly used, and least expensive method for a prospector to separate gold from the silt, sand, and gravel of the stream deposits. It is a tedious, back-breaking job and only with practice does one become proficient in the operation. Thankfully, technology finally caught up with our gold fever and brought us metal detectors!

>>>>>>>Visit Hot Springs!!<<<<<<<<

This area is known not only for gold, but also beautiful quartz crystals. Here's some tips for both:

Quartz Crystals

Crystals can be found buried in the red clay of the local "dig-your-own" mines throughout the southern area of the Ouachita Nat'l Forest. Most of the mines are located in the area around the city of Hot Springs and the small Ouachita Mountain area of Mount Ida. In some places, you can even pick them up right off the ground.

Gold Nuggets

Placer nuggets and pan flakes have been found 12 miles SW of Hot Springs in area streams and dry washes. Check your "fool's gold" twice since real gold has been commonly found interspersed with it in this area.

COINS & JEWELRY

Arkansas offers many incredible opportunities. If this is your interest, here's a few ideas to get you started:

Schools and College Campuses
Parks / Playgrounds / Picnic Areas
Foundations, Wells, and Cellar Holes of Old Churches or Houses
Downtown Construction Sites
Swimming Holes and Beaches
Camp Grounds, Boy Scout Camps, WPA Camps, and Railroad Camps
Sports Facilities
Ghost Towns
Rodeo Arenas, Riding Stables, and Race Tracks
Old Fair and Carnival Locations
Old Town Dumpsites

LOST TREASURE

As in other areas of the US, there are several tales of lost treasure in Arkansas concerning caches buried for safety. In many of these stories, people either died or forgot where they buried the stash. Contributing factors include:

1. Fear of "foraging" troops during the Civil War

2. Distrust of banks during the Great Depression.

A tremendous fortune transported from Mexico in several wagons was buried and lost near John Avants' old land along the Cosatot River.
John Murrel, notorious bandit, buried treasures on Stuart Island near Lake Village in Chicot County.
A mill owner is said to have buried his fortune near Huntsville, Madison County, and it was only partially recovered at a later date.

These excerpts are a sampling from American Coin Treasures and Hoards