Digging for diamonds--local Boy Scout Troop travels to Arkansas for new adventures. 
Story taken from the Stratford Courier, written by Toni Larson
On Saturday, August 7, 2004, a contingent of Boy Scouts from Troop 511, their leaders and chaperones, headed south on a weeklong trip to discover new adventures in an Arkansas diamond mine.
Their first night on the road was spent in Springfield, Missouri at a KOA campground and was highlighted by a trip to the Bass Pro Shop.
Early the following morning, they caravanned to Miner's Camp in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, set up camp and got acquainted with their surroundings after the eight-hour drive. The trek to the area was quite scenic, with a trip through the mountains with many sharp curves.
Monday was spent at Crater of Diamonds State Park. After a 1-1/2 hour presentation on how to look for diamonds, they eagerly tried their hands at locating one of the elusive gems in the diamond fields. In temperatures of 104 degrees, the activity was one that wore them out and the swimming pool next to the camp was well used that evening.
On Tuesday, the troop took a hike up Crystal Vista Mountain and found a creek to swim in. A rope tied to a nearby tree furnished a swinging and dropping opportunity for the energetic boys.
On Wednesday, back to the 30-acre field of diamond mines. The procedure used for finding diamonds was as follows: Dig; take the dirt and put it in a sieve or box screen and shake it out; wash all the dirt out; once it is rinsed out thoroughly, turn the screen upside down on a big table; if the procedure has been followed correctly, the minerals will be deposited in the center.
Minerals found by the Scouts included jasper, quartz, calcite and just about any other common mineral that comes to mind.
On Thursday, the boys went fishing and swimming in Lake Greeson, north of Murfreesboro, the largest manmade reservoirs in the United States. Doug and Carol Seela took that opportunity to travel to Mount Ida, a crystal mine, to get crystals so the boys could have souvenirs.
While camped at Murfreesboro, the owner of the camp gave a rock and mineral presentation to the Scouts which enabled them all to earn their Geologist Badge.
On Friday, the group left at 6:45 a.m. for Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, a popular stop for all the boys. Touring the cave was a highlight for most.
Saturday, the troop left Branson and traveled all the way back to Stratford, arriving at about 7:00 p.m.
The trip was funded in a variety of ways. The annual pie sales that take place in October were a way many of the boys earned money to pay the fee for the trip. The Scout's families also helped pay for a portion of the trip.
Stratford area residents who participated in the adventure included Brent McDuell, Kenyon and Mark Scott, Deb, Matt, Adam and Alex Westrum, Ben Lambert, HT Buie, Doug, Carol and Trevor Seela, and Jamie and John Johnson. Webster City area residents that came along were Curtis Anderson, Duane and Brad Smith, Nick Neeson, Dana and Devin Linn, and Justin Kepler.
