CRYSTAL PARK, Mont. — Molten granite formed the Pioneer Mountain Range in southwest Montana about 72-million years ago. As the granite cooled, water carried quartz and other minerals through the rocks ...

As I turned yet another shovelful of dirt, I thought about a comment made long ago by the millionaire, Andrew Carnegie: “Men are developed the same way gold is mined. When gold is mined, several tons ...

Some modern-day prospectors make thousands of dollars selling precious stones they dug up themselves. By Alexandra Marvar Moonstones in Montana, amethyst and emeralds in North Carolina, garnet and ...

Crystal Park is located in the Pioneer Mountains in southwest Montana, just outside of Dillon. The recreation area sits at an elevation of 7,800 ft. Crystal Park is open for day use only with a small ...

Wear jeans and bring along a small pickax. Expect crowds, but don’t worry — crystal enthusiasts tend to be a genial, family-friendly lot. By Malia Wollan “If you’re looking for crystals, Arkansas is ...

MOUNT IDA, Ark. — On a lonely road near Mount Ida, people from around the globe come to play in the dirt. “It’s something I have wanted to do for many, many years, and finally had the opportunity to ...

Excited screams filled the air as two of my sons jumped from the platform and plunged downward into the mine below. Within minutes, they dropped several hundred feet and had traveled over a half-mile ...

Moonstones in Montana, amethyst and emeralds in North Carolina, garnet and quartz in upstate New York. At pay-to-dig mines around the United States, visitors can paw through piles of mine tailings to ...