Ron Coleman Mine - Jessieville, Arkansas - Quartz Mine

Ron Coleman Mine is located at Crystal Ridge Lane in Jessieville, which is in Garland County, Arkansas. The mine is located 16 miles North of Hot Springs on Highway 7 and driving from there visitors will come through a signal light at Hot Springs Village, and from there in two miles is Coleman's Rock Shop on the left. Drivers should turn left immediately beside the shop and follow the signs for a further two miles to Ron Coleman Mine.

In the 1950s Ron Coleman's grandfather Charlie began mining at what is now commonly known The Old Coleman Mine but was then known as blocker lead #4.It was not until the 1980s when the mine was actually acquired by Ron Colemanfrom the Geomex Corporation. The quartz found at blocker lead #4 was the purest found when the U.S. government was looking for quartz to use in bomb site production, which they did by digging many test pits in Arkansas in the 1940s, and it sets the world standard for quartz purity

The mine is open to visitors from 8am to 5pm seven days of the week, although the actual mining area closes 30 minutes earlier. Here visitors are allowed to dig for natural quartz crystals and keep what they have found. The best time of year to do this is after hard rain with the temperature best in April and May and again in late October.

Only employees are actually allowed in the mine itself, but visitors can go through the tailings, which are brought up by a dump truck and front end loader. From there visitors can overlook the pit and watch the mining activity. There is a gift shop onsite too, where visitors can purchase various souvenirs including crystals, onyx, glass statues and chess sets.

Visitors can dig for their own pieces of quartz and therefore it is advisable to wear old clothes and boots, as they will get very dirt from the red clay. Visitors are also welcome to bring their own digging tools and the staff at the mine will provide a burlap sack for collecting crystals. The fee paid at the entrance is the only charge, so no matter how much visitors find, they can keep at no extra cost.

Anyone wishing to stay overnight is welcome to camp here as there is an onsite RV park with 12 full hook-up spaces and 10 electric and water only spaces. These have 30 amp service and a shower building with Laundromat and are offered on a first come, first served basis. For a little extra comfort more accommodation is offered at the Village Inn located approximately four miles away.

Other attractions relatively close to the mine include the Mid-America Science Museum about 16 kilometers away in Hot Springs National Park. In Hot Springs Village about three and a half kilometers from the mine visitors can dine at Home Plate Cafe or a bit further away still in the same village is El Acapulco.