Find hidden crystals and explore curious alien legends at this Arkansas gem, perfect for families, explorers, and treasure ...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Tucked away in west-central Arkansas' Ouachita Mountains, Mount Ida is a literal hidden gem, a tiny town that got its nickname — the "Quartz ...

The tiny town of Mount Ida is home to rock shops, you-dig quartz mines, and national forest trails.

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 ...

In and around Mount Ida, the identity of the official Arkansas State Mineral can be guessed just by looking around. In fact (pun alert!), the laureate is crystal-clear from billboards and other signs.

Martina Gutfreund knew it could be hard to make a living mining crystals. Still, she was shocked to discover, on a recent trip to Namibia’s mineral-rich Erongo region, that her purchase of 250 pounds ...