COLLECTING QUARTZ CRYSTALS
MOUNT IDA, ARKANSAS

by Ray Hill

I had heard of this collecting area as being "The Quartz Crystal Capital of The World", but could not envision what a fantastic place this really is for rockhounds. Turned out, it was better than the images I had imprinted in my beady little brain from all the stories I'd heard about the place.

My first trip there was in 1998. I drove out from Ellenwood, (Atlanta) Georgia in a little over 12 hours. This was in the fall during the Annual Championship Quartz Crystal Dig. I stayed there a full three days and had the time of my life. I was like a child in a candy store with permission to sample everything there. I've since been back two more times and it just gets better 'n better. As I learn more about the mines and the area in and around Mount Ida, I find it is truly a Rockhounds paradise! If you haven't been to this area, you've missed out. It's worth the trip from anywhere in the US.

Mount Ida, Arkansas is located in the Ouachita (pronounced "Wah-she-tah") Mountains, about 40 miles west of Hot Springs on Highway 270. The immediate area around Mount Ida provides absolutely the best quartz crystal collecting in the USA, and some of the best fishing on Lake Ouachita. There's boating, camping, hiking trails, great mountain ranges for photography, and some of the nicest, just plain ole down-to-earth friendly folks you'll find anywhere.

When most folks think of a "mine" they normally think of unfriendly, dark, damp, underground tunnels. Well, don't fret... the crystal mines at Mount Ida are all open pit surface mines. The crystals are in the clay pockets along quartz veins. And, at most of the mines, you can drive right up to the collecting site, get out and start picking up crystals. No long hiking. And, yes, it's a great place for the kids as well.

If you go there, take your rock pick, a pry bar, a crack hammer, a regular pick if you're in to heavy digging, a sturdy pair of gloves (quartz can bite), a scratching tool, a shovel, a couple of five-gallon buckets, your lunch and plenty to drink. And you'll definitely want to wear some old clothes that you don't mind getting covered with red mud, 'cause you will!

According to the Mount Ida Chamber of Commerce web site, there are 17 operating quartz crystal mines in the Mount Ida area. (And there's probably that many more businesses that sell quartz crystals if you’d prefer to “green collect”). Many of the mines permit visitors to enter their mines for a day of digging. (When I was last there, the fee was $10.00 for a whole day's digging at the Fiddler's Ridge Mine.) You will need to call the mines to see which ones permit digging and what their fee is. I promise you'll get your money's worth.

My purpose here is to tell you what a great rock collecting place this is, where it's located, what you'll find, and some other helpful information about the area. I could go into the history of Mount Ida quartz crystals and tell you that the crystals were mined and used for military purposes in quartz silicon electronics in tanks, aircraft and other military uses during WWI & WWII. I could tell you that Mount Ida quartz crystals are used as "seed" crystals for producing lab created silicon crystals used in "Silicon Valley" in computers and other electronics. I could tell you that literally tons of Mount Ida crystals are shipped overseas annually, mostly for collectors. I could tell you that for Mount Ida, Arkansas, quartz crystals are BIG business. But I won’t. I'll just stick to the love that we rockhounds have for the beautiful crystals found there.

Here's a photo of the Mount Ida sign on highway 270 just outside the city. Notice the population.

Here's a photo taken just as you enter the city itself.

From about 10 miles before you enter the city of Mount Ida, on highway 270, you'll see rock shops along the highway, selling mostly quartz crystals.

Here's a shot of me picking out small points at THE CRYSTAL PYRAMID. Got a great deal!

My advice to a newcomer/visitor is to take a day, or at least part of a day, and visit all the rock shops there in town before spending a lot of money on crystals. Get a feel for the prices offered. Then you can go purchase the items you want. Believe me, there are lots to choose from, and the prices vary greatly. At a couple of the shops I saw them offering five-gallon buckets full of "mine run" crystals. Literally, buckets full of material right out of the mine, collected by the mine owner using heavy equipment. The material in these buckets had not been cleaned. The pieces were still covered with red clay/dirt and had iron oxide rust scale on some of them. So, if you want to clean some crystals yourself, this is a great buy. At the time I was there, the shops were offering the buckets for $25.00 each. Great price!

This is a photo of a typical mine. The mines are out in the woods, down a small dirt road, just outside of town.

Mount Ida has produced individual quartz crystal points up to 14" diameter and three feet long and fantastic clusters that won't fit in a pick-up truck!

No one knows how many tons of crystals have come from the mines in and around Mount Ida but it has to be in the tens of thousands. These mines produce phantoms, tabbies, smoky, generator points, and about every other conceivable variety of quartz crystal.

Should you want to plan a trip to this great collecting place, you'll definitely want to check out the Mount. Ida website.

This site is maintained by the Mount Ida Chamber of Commerce. It is loaded with information on the mines there, the "World Championship Crystal Dig", information on Arkansas, camping, lodging, dining, etc. It is run mostly by volunteers and they are there to help you. Give them a call. And, of course, their motive is to have folks like you and me visit their fair city, stay in the local motels, eat in the local dining places, patronize the local shops, buy lots of quartz, and, in general, help the local economy. So naturally they love visitors and will bend over backwards to help you.

Here is a partial listing of some of the local mines and shops.

Again, for more information, contact the Mount Ida Area Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 6, 201 Hwy 270 West, Mount Ida, Arkansas 71957, 870-867-2723 - or - Debbie Baldwin, Executive Director, 870-867-3121, Email: mountida@ipa.net

Enjoy!!

Ray Hill
Great South Gems & Minerals, Inc.
www.greatsouth.net
888-933-GEMS

Note: Only rock clubs have permission to print this article but must give credit to the author, Ray Hill, and Great South Gems & Minerals, Inc. For everyone else, please email us for permission.

Great South Gems & Minerals, Inc. www.greatsouth.net 38 Bond Drive Ellenwood, Georgia 30294 USA 1-888-933-GEMS (4367) FAX 770-474-4507