Commercial diamond mining in Arkansas developed through a complex history of divided land that was bought, sold, and leased many times during much of the 20th century. Local farmer John Huddleston once owned the larger southern portion of the diamond-bearing crater, and after finding diamonds there in 1906, he sold his farmland to investors who incorporated the Arkansas Diamond Company, the first of many organized mining ventures in the area. To the north, Millard Mauney owned several diamond-bearing acres, mined part of his land with his sons, and leased other sections to commercial operators such as Austin Millar and his son Howard. The Millars founded the Kimberlite Diamond Mining and Washing Company in 1911 and mined diamonds in Arkansas for more than 50 years. A restored mineshaft building to the north covers a collapsed 60-foot-deep shaft that Austin Millar reportedly dug in search of diamonds below the surface. Today, Crater of Diamonds State Park contains historical sites including the mineshaft building and the Martin Plant foundation, representing more than 50 years of commercial diamond mining.