Montana’s Most Famous Diamond Found Less Than An Hour From Great Falls

Montana has a couple of nicknames including "Big Sky Country" and "Land of the Shining Mountains", but one name stands out more than the rest: "The Treasure State."

The First Diamond Ever Found In Montana

According to Montana Beyond, Montana earned its "Treasure State" nickname due to its rich history of "producing gold, silver, copper, and other natural resources."

ALSO READ: Montana Lottery Winner Scores BIG

And look, I would be as happy as anyone to discover huge deposits of gold or even silver. But it's hard to imagine a treasure discovery any bigger than finding a diamond, especially if this diamond just so happens to be the first ever discovered in Montana.

But that's exactly what happened back in 1990.

The Lewis & Clark Diamond in Montana

Montana's been producing precious metals since the 1860s according to Montana Beyond but it wasn't until 1990 when a woman named Darlene Dennis made a startling discovery along a country road near Craig, Montana which is just 44 minutes from Great Falls.

Get our free mobile app

According to Montana Beyond and CBS News, Darlene Dennis stumbled upon a "light yellow 14-carat rounded rough diamond crystal." Because of where it was found, the diamond became known as the "Lewis & Clark Diamond."

JewelleryBusiness.com says that the diamond later sold in a New York Gallery for around $80,000.

Is It Common To Find Diamonds In Montana?

While it's not common to find diamonds in Montana, they exist (clearly!) and at one point, it was believed that Lewistown could be an area where more diamonds could be discovered before further research shot that down.

ALSO READ: Montana Hunters Help The Community With Extra Meat

There haven't been many huge discoveries like this one but only time will tell if we make another huge discovery like this.

Have you ever found a precious gem in Montana? We would love to see your photos HERE.