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List of Quarries in Colorado & Quarry Links, Photographs and Articles

The following list of Colorado quarries is not a complete list of all of the historical quarries in the state, only the ones I have been able to locate. If you know of more quarries in Colorado that are not listed here, please contact me.
Peggy B. Perazzo
  • Quarries in Colorado (present-day, active quarries), listed on Superyellowpages.com.
  • Aberdeen, Colorado - History of the town of Aberdeen and Its Stone Industry
  • Beulah, Colorado - Marble Quarry, Beulah, Colo. (postcard photograph)
    Marble Quarry, Beulah, Colo. (postcard photograph; 9627A, early to mid-1900s; unmailed) Marble Quarry, Beulah, Colorado, postcard photograph
  • Castle Rock, Douglas County, Colorado - the O'Brien Rhyolite Quarry and the Madge Rhyolite Quarry History - "County's history linked to rhyolite," by Susan Casey, Staff Writer, Douglas County News-Press, July 10, 1996. The archive articles for the Douglas County News-Press are presented on the Douglas County Library District web site. - The first rhyolite quarry was opened in 1872 by Silas Madge in Castle Rock. The present-day company, Ditmars Quarry, is now located on the original site of the Madge Quarry. The writer of the article notes that there are several structures constructed of the rhyolite stone quarried locally. One of these is at the Castlewood Canyon State Park - the new park buildings. The site further describes buildings constructed of the rhyolite. (The web address from which the above information was obtained is no longer available.)
    <http://douglas.lib.co.us/your_community/newspress/960710.html#2>
    • Castle Rock, Douglas County, Colorado - Lava Stone Quarries. This site includes an extract from Castle Rock Journal in 1900, which discusses the area's stone industry. The lava was said to come in colors of white, pink and blue. (The link from which this information was obtained is no longer available.)
      <http://campuspress.colorado.edu/cpa/BOOK/douglas.html>
    • Castle Rock Fossil Rain Forest, Developed by Steve Wagner, Denver Museum of Nature & Science Volunteer.
    • Castle Rock Quarry Image Gallery

  • Castle Rock, Douglas County, Colorado – Split Stone Quarry - Schmidt Aggregates (Rhyolite) (present-day company) (The link from which the following information was obtained is no longer available.)
    <http://schmidtconstr.com/quarries/splitstone.html>

    (from the web site) “Rhyolite stone from one of the only sources in Colorado is dug from the ground and then broken with hammers for use in decorative building applications.” (There are links on the web site showed structures on which the rhyolite stone was used as a façade.)

  • Canyon City, Colorado – Siloam Stone Inc. – Quarry in Southern Colorado (present-day company) (Photographs)
  • Colorado Springs (northwest of), County, Colorado - Limestone Quarries
    This photograph is taken from Prairie, Peak and Plateau: A Guide to the Geology of Colorado, Colorado Geological Survey Bulletin 32, by John and Halka Chronic, 1972, pg. 98. Used with the permission of the Colorado Geological Survey.) Rampart Range northwest of Colorado Springs
  • Denver, Colorado – the American Marble Company (The following information is from the “Notes From Quarry and Shop” section in Stone: An Illustrated Magazine, Vol. XI, No. 6, November, 1895, Frank W. Hoyt, Publisher, New York, pp. 574.)

    “Incorporated – The American Marble Company, Denver, Colo. The directors of the company are William B. Willard, John W. Starkweather and John H. Routt. The capital stock is $200,000. The company will operate in Colorado.”

  • Denver, Colorado – Bills Bros. (Monument Dealer) (Excerpts from “Motor Truck in the Monument Business: What Retail Monument Dealers Think of the Efficiency of Motor Transportation for Memorial Work,” article in Granite Marble & Bronze, Vol. XXXI, No. 1, January 1921, pp. 32-33d.

    “A short time ago Granite Marble & Bronze sent out a questionnaire to thousands of retail monument dealers throughout the country for information regarding the part the motor truck plays in the retail monument business….”

    “Of course, the real interest in connection with this digest is in quoting what the dealers have to say about the subject, for the sayings are many and various….”

    Truck of Bills Bros., Denver, Colo. equipped with crane for handling monument work. Truck of Bills Bros., Denver, Colo. equipped with crane for handling monument work.
  • Denver, Colorado – The McFarlane-Eggers Machinery Co. (The following information is an advertisement in Pit and Quarry: Sand – Gravel – Stone, magazine, December 1921, pp. 107.)

    The McFarlane-Eggers Machinery Co.

    2763 Blake St., Denver, Colo.

    A Gasoline Locomotive with a Ford Engine Power Plant adapted for very short curves 18 in. to 36 in. Gauge 300-lb. – 600 lb. Draw-bar Pull - Practical – Economical. Send for Catalog

  • Denver, Colorado – The Mine & Smelter Supply Co. (The following information is from an advertisement in Stone: An Illustrated Magazine Devoted to Stone, Marble, Granite, Slate, Cement, Contracting and Building, Vol. XXIV, No..1, January, 1902, Stone Publishing Co., New York, pp. 3.)

    The Mine & Smelter Supply Co., Denver, Colo.

    It Couldn’t be Anything Else but the best if it’s - The Durkee Lightning Drill.

    Is driven by an electric motor. Will do the same amount of work as an air drill of same size and only requires one-tenth the power to operate. Does not stick in the hole. Can be operated by direct or alternating current as desired. Strikes about 600 blows per minute. Costs but 1/3 to 1/2 as much to install as other drills.

    See Our Catalogue for Details.

    Salt Lake City, Utah - El Paso, Tex. - City of Mexico, Mex.
  • Denver, Colorado - Sullivan Machinery Co. - “The Beginnings of a Great New Hampshire Industry,” by George B. Upham, The Granite Monthly: New Hampshire State Magazine, Vol. 53, No. 4, April 1921, pp. 141-149.

    “The Sullivan Machinery Company now has offices in Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, Knoxville, St. Louis, Cleveland, Duluth, Dallas, Joplin, Denver, Spokane, El Paso, Salt Lake, Toronto, Vancouver, Mexico City, Santiago in Chile, and Lima in Peru.  In the old world it maintains headquarters at London and Paris and before the war had a flourishing branch in Petrograd.  A branch has been maintained for many years in Sydney, Australia, and the company's representatives are selling Sullivan mining machinery in Japan, India, the Federated Malay States, and South Africa.

    ”Sullivan machinery for excavating rock in mines, tunnels and quarries, for compressing air, for prospecting for minerals, and for mining coal is found in every part of the world where these industries are carried on.  This article tells of the small, yet interesting beginnings of this New Hampshire Industry.”

    (The names used for this company include: “D. A. Clay & Co.,” “Claremont Machine Works,” “J. P. Upham & Co.,” and lastly, the “Sullivan Machinery Company.”)

  • Eldorado Mountain (the northeast face) - the Conda Rock Quarry - Reclamation of a Stone Quarry in a Ponderosa Pine/Grassland Ecotone (pdf), by Mary Peterson. The Conda rock quarry is located 25 miles northwest of Denver. The quarry had been active for 23 years. The stone in the quarry is a pinkish tan color. This site discusses the reclamation of the quarry.
  • Estes Park, Colorado – the Colorado Rose Red Granite Quarry (present-day company) (The following quotation is used with permission.)

    “Established in 1947, Colorado Rose Red granite quarry has been owned & operated by the Liesvelds for 62 years. Having origins in Sweden as stone carvers, the Liesveld family migrated to the United States to continue the three-century tradition.

    “Situated in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Rose Red is located just outside of Estes Park, Colorado. We produce fine red granite with beautiful streams of red feldspar, black mica & white quartz. Colorado Rose Red granite is a world-class stone that will withstand the test of time & provide your project with the class & beauty only granite can provide.

    “Through hard work & God’s will, we are one of the only independently owned granite quarries left in the U.S. All of our granite is produced here, not overseas….”

    The “Products and Services” section includes photographs of the Colorado Rose Red Granite finishes.

    • Celebrating 20 years” (News). (Colorado Rose Red Granite quarry has been using water jet channeling for 20 years), article available on the Highbeam.com web site,
  • Florence, Colorado – New Portland Cement Plant (The following information is from the section “Limes and Cements” in Stone: An Illustrated Magazine Devoted to Stone, Marble, Granite, Slate, Cement, Contracting and Building, Vol. XXIV, No.1, January, 1902, Stone Publishing Co., New York, pp. 78.)

    Work has begun on the construction of the new Portland cement plant at Florence, Colo.

    Work is progressing rapidly on the 1,000-barrel Portland cement plant being erected near Florence, Colorado. The company has just purchased two large tracts of land containing lime rock.

  • Fort Collins (near), Colorado - Colorado Alabaster Supply (present-day company)

    Colorado Alabaster Supply Quarry (Choose the “Gallery & Links” link in the menu to view photographs of finished sculptures and the quarrying of the stone.)

  • Fort Collins (near), Colorado – the Fort Collins Redstone Company & Sandstone Quarry (Sandstone)
    • John P. Lower & the Fort Collins Redstone Company – The following information is from the “History of the State of the State of Colorado ....,” by Frank Hall, Rocky Mountain Historical Company, 1895, pp. 504, in the “John P. Lower” biography.  (John P. Lower & George F. Wilson organized the Fort Collins Redstone Company.  A summary of the company history and its demise is included in the biography transcribed below. This book is available on Google Books - Full View Books for reading or downloading in PDF.)

    “Lower, John P., merchant, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., Jan. 2, 1833.* After receiving an ordinary education in the public schools, Aug. 4, 1851, he engaged as salesman in the gun house of James C. Grubb & Co., in Philadelphia, and remained until Aug. 18, 1872, much of the time traveling for the firm to the principal cities of the United States. His first visit to Denver occurred in the spring of 1868, when he made the acquaintance of Carlos Gove, the leading gun dealer of Colorado. A strong friendship ensued, which was strengthened by correspondence, and Aug. 23, 1872, Mr. Lower came to Denver with his family and formed a partnership with Mr. Gove, under the firm name of Gove & Co. This continued until April, 1875, when, on the expiration of the partnership, Mr. Lower opened a store on his own account on Blake street, which became noted as a trading place of the Ute Indians, who procured there their guns, ammunition, beads and various ornaments, in exchange for buckskins, robes, etc. Later on his two boys were admitted to partnership, when the firm became John P. Lower & Sons. It was well known throughout the state. In June, 1884, after more than thirty years of close attention to business, Mr. Lower, Sr., took a trip to Europe, being absent five months. Returning to Colorado in Feb., 1885, for the benefit of his wife’s health, he took her to Florida, Cuba and the Bermudas. Subsequently he became interested in developing the redstone deposits, near Fort Collins, and, in connection with George F. Wilson, organized the Fort Collins Redstone Company, of which he was president, and Mr. Wilson, secretary and general manager. They furnished the stone for the Essex building, the Mining Exchange and the county jail, in Denver, and were the first to send a trainload to New Orleans and thence to New York by steamer. It reached New York May 1, 1888, where it was used in connection with an additional trainload of the same sent overland, via Chicago, in a building at 9 East Seventy-first street. While attending his wife at Asbury Park, N.J., his partner bankrupted the company and left the state, leaving Mr. Lower to meet its obligations alone. The gun business descending to his sons is still carried on successfully. Mrs. Lower died of cancer, May 1, 1888, at Asbury Park.”

    (* A researcher of the Fort Collins Redstone Company wrote that the date of birth for John P. Lower given in this biography is not correct.)

    • When In Denver, Get It At Lower’s,” by Dave Lanara

      Dave Lanara’s article provides a an extensive, detailed account of John P. Lower’s life and businesses, including his partnership in the Fort Collins Redstone Company (which operated a sandstone quarry near Fort Collins) with George F. Wilson at the link above. According to Dave Lanara’s article: “Most of the oldest buildings in Denver that still survive were built using stone from his Fort Collins Redstone Company.”

    • The County Courthouse in Denver - the Cornerstone (The following information is from the “County Courthouse” section of “Fort Collins History and Architecture,” on the Fort Collins History Connection web site.)

      According to this article, “The Fort Collins Redstone Company donated a red sandstone cornerstone from their local quarries for the (county courthouse) building.”

  • Garfield (west of), Colorado – the Old Limestone Monarch Quarry.
    "Just west of Garfield, Colorado this limestone quarry still produces 500,000 tons of limestone a year. Colorado Fuel and Iron Corp. purchased this small quarry in 1931 and uses the limestone as a fluxing agent. Elevation is 10 to 11 thousand feet. Tours usually given during summer. Presented by Salida Museum Assoc." (postcard photograph, 12919-D; published and photograph by Collegiate Photography Ltd., Salida, Colorado 81201; made by Dexter Press, West Nyack, New York; unmailed) Garfield (west of), Colorado - the Old Limestone Monarch Quarry
  • Gilroy, Colorado - Mr. Martin - Marble Yard. The following information is from The Monumental News, “Trades Notes” section, August, 1895, Vol. 7, No. 8, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 502.

    “A Gilroy, Colo., paper states that a Mr. Martin is to open a marble yard there ‘as a further inducement to old residents to remain with their remains.’ This is enterprise!”

  • Golden, Colorado - Local Stone Quarry. The Astor House Museum was constructed with stone quarried in Golden.
  • Gunnison County, Colorado - the Aberdeen Granite Quarry (1889-1892) (located 6 miles west of Gunnison, Colorado )
    • Aberdeen Granite Quarry Records in the Lois Borland Collection, Western State College of Colorado

      Historical Note (from the web site)

      “The Aberdeen Quarry is located six miles west of Gunnison on South Beaver Creek. It was in full operation from August 1, 1889 until April of 1892. A special type of granite was quarried from Aberdeen, know for its unique hardness and smooth features. F. G. Zugelder took the first sample of granite in the spring of 1888 and, along with L. F. Zugelder, W. R. Walter, and T. U. Walter, set the location for the quarry in April 16, 1889. In early February of 1889 William Geddes, future contractor in operation of the quarry, visited the potential site….”

      “The operations of the quarry were underway by the beginning of August and the quarry was named Aberdeen after another quarry in Scotland. The first load of granite was shipped to Denver on August 14….”

      “Although demands were met, Aberdeen did not last much longer and really only survived to finish supplying granite for the capitol building. The number of employees was up to about sixty by December 1891 but began to fall from there. April 1, 1892 was the last meeting of Branch no. 46 of the Q.N.U. Only seventeen employees remained by this time and even fewer would endure through the end of the capitol project in June. 10 The quarry was open on a limited basis for some time after this….”

    • Gunnison County, Colorado - the Aberdeen Quarry. The quarry was in operation from 1889 to 1892. Stone from this quarry was used in the construction of Denver's capitol.
    • Hathaway Quarry - Quarry Days in the Ute Trail Area, Article by Dick Dixon.
  • Larimer County, south of Carter Lake, Colorado – Neil Sprague Sandstone Quarries. In 1995 Neil Sprague was operating four sandstone quarries in Larimer County. At that time the company headquarters was in Loveland, Colorado. (From United States Geological Survey, "Mineral Industries Surveys - Directory of Principal Dimension Stone Producers in the United States in 1995," prepared in January 1997.)
  • Longmont, Colorado - Blue Mountain Stone, Inc. Sandstone Quarry (present-day company) (photographs and history)

    Blue Mountain Stone, Inc, has been in the business of quarrying and shipping Colorado sandstone since 1977; and the company owns and operates their own quarries. The company also operates quarries in New Mexico.

  • Longmont, Colorado - Loukonen Bros. Stone Co. (present-day company) 12993 Foothills Highway, Longmont, CO 80503; (303) 823-6268. This company is a family-run business which began in 1890. Loukonen Bros. Stone Co. specializes in dimension stone cutting, and uses the following stones: Lyons red sandstone, Colorado buff sandstone, and moss rock.. The stone from them can be seen at the University of Colorado, Coors Field, the Garden of the Gods and the Denver Botanical Gardens.
  • Lyons, Colorado - “Lyons, Colorado, Birth of A Quarry Town,” by Diane Benedict, Lyons, CO: Applicatons, Plus, 2002, xiv, 354 pp. (Book).
  • Lyons Area North of Boulder, Colorado - Lyons Sandstone

    (The following is taken from Prairie, Peak and Plateau: A Guide to the Geology of Colorado, Colorado Geological Survey Bulletin 32, by John and Halka Chronic, 1972, pg. 99. If you wish a copy, write to the Colorado Geological Survey, 1845 Sherman Street, Denver, Colorado 80203. Used with the permission of the Colorado Geological Survey.)

    "The Lyons area, north of Boulder, provides pink, hard, even-grained sandstone which splits readily into slabs or flagstones. These are used in the Denver-Boulder area for sidewalks and patios as well as for facing buildings. Quarries owned by the University of Colorado provide a constant supply of handsome facing material and flagstone for new university buildings, although in recent years the high cost of stone construction has limited its use on the campus."

    "The Lyons Sandstone was deposited as beach and bar sand along the edge of a sea which lay east of the Front Range in Permian time. After deposition, the sand was deeply buried and compacted. Now tilted up along the Front Range uplift, it comes to the surface along the east side of the range. Only between Fort Collins and Boulder does the stone have the desirable combination of hardness, thin-bededness, and color which makes it desirable for ornamental use. The pink color of the Lyons Sandstone is derived from iron oxides, mostly hematite, disseminated between the sand grains. Dendrites (often erroneously called fossil ferns or plants) ornament some slabs; they were formed by crystallization of manganese dioxide from groundwater as it slowly percolated through the rock."

    This photograph is taken from Prairie, Peak and Plateau: A Guide to the Geology of Colorado, Colorado Geological Survey Bulletin 32, by John and Halka Chronic, 1972, pg. 100. Used with the permission of the Colorado Geological Survey.) Lyons Sandstone quarried near Lyons

    The caption reads as follows:

    "Lyons Sandstone is quarried near Lyons, Colorado. The salmon-colored sandstone splits along surfaces defined by slight differences in size and arrangement of the sand grains."

  • Lyons Stone Quarries and Industry, presented the Lyons, Colorado, Chamber of Commerce.

    (The link from which the following information was obtained is no longer available.
    <http://www.lyons-colorado.com/stone_and_quarries.htm>)

    Lyons has fifteen sandstone structures which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These were all constructed of native stone by master craftsmen between the early 1870s and 1917. They include commercial, residential and public buildings. There are still quarries operating today that provide beautiful sandstone and other products to the surrounding cities and around the country. This site includes a list of present-day quarry-related businesses.

  • Lyons and Fort Collins (between), Colorado - Arkins Quarries Started by Union Pacific Railroad, by Kenneth Jessen, Correspondent, on the North Forty News web site. A few excerpts from this article are presented below. (The following quote is used with the permission of the author, Kenneth Jessen. Also, the article is no longer available in the North Forty News Archive.)
    <http://www.northfortynews.com/Archive/A200109arkins_quarries.htm>

    "Editor's note: Kenneth Jessen provides some background on stone quarries in Larimer County to add to readers' perspective on events surrounding recent and controversial quarries

    "At one time, a vast stone industry existed along the foothills between Lyons and Fort Collins. One of the most active quarries was located seven miles west of Loveland on the ridge that parallels the Masonville Road. These were known as the Buckhorn or Arkins quarries and were developed in 1886 by the Union Pacific Railroad in an effort to increase its freight business. At the time, only a few ranches occupied this valley.

    "The railroad needed a large order to get the quarries off to a good start. One potential customer was Kansas City, and samples of stone were shown to town officials. A contract was signed to supply all of the paving stone and curbing for the entire city. This single order amounted to 2,500 carloads of stone.

    "The Union Pacific, however, had put the cart before the horse. At the time the contract was signed, there wasn't any rail service from Loveland out to the quarries. Work began on the railroad in early 1887, and at the same time, the UP sent men to the quarries to begin extracting stone and filling the Kansas City order.

    "The number of men working at the quarry soon exceeded 100, and a post office was established that year at the base of the ridge at a place named Arkins. The Union Pacific also constructed a large frame boarding house, complete with a kitchen and dining hall. The kitchen had a spacious brick oven able to bake 70 loaves at a time. The dining hall could seat 280 men and as the number of quarry workers reached that number, six cooks were kept busy full time.

    "There were bunkhouses for the workers, but supervisors lived in a separate bunkhouse connected to the boardinghouse by a covered passageway. A company store was added to one end of the kitchen. It carried overalls, hats, shoes, groceries and a few patent medicines. A second store, known as the Charles & Smith, soon opened at Arkins.

    "Building the rail line west of Loveland to serve the quarries was relatively easy. The railroad ran west out of Loveland, past the south end of the Devil's Backbone, then angled northwest crossing the present-day Masonville Road. The railroad climbed up the ridge and after a mile, reached the halfway point. A switchback was used to reverse direction and gain the remainder of the distance to the quarries near the top of the ridge. By using this zigzag technique, the railroad maintained a reasonable grade. The old railroad grade can still be seen stretching across the hillside, and the stone abutments for both the upper and lower trestles across a small ravine are quite evident.

    "The railroad made its first shipment of 11 cars of stone to Kansas City on April 7, 1887. Business picked up to 15 cars of stone per day. The Loveland depot agent soon reported that overall business had doubled both in passengers and freight service over the previous year.

    "There were a number of different types of stone shipped from the Buckhorn quarries. Paving stone, flagging and curbing for streets and sidewalks were the primary products, while large foundation stones, weighing many tons, were also shipped.

    "Each aspect of removing stone and shaping it was specialized. Some men worked at drilling and used wedges to break large slabs of stone free from the quarry face. At the bottom of the face, other quarry workers used wheelbarrows to carry the smaller pieces of stone across the tracks to the block cutters. Other quarry workers operated the numerous pole derricks used to lift large foundation stones onto the railroad cars.

    "Some 45 skilled block cutters were brought in from Missouri. Most were Swedes and were highly skilled at their trade. A block cutter used a set of three hammers, all stored within easy reach with the heads down. The first step was to score the stone with one of the hammers then flip it over and tap it with a sledgehammer. If done correctly, the slab would break along the score. The third hammer was used to even up the edges. The finished stone was stacked neatly along the railroad track for shipment.

    "Back in the 1880s, the brake systems on the railroad cars were crude and the quarries were plagued with a constant series of accidents. One of the worst accidents occurred in June 1887 at the upper quarry. Three fully loaded cars began to slip down the hill towards the switch. A worker jumped on one of the cars and began cranking on the brakes. They were defective and when the worker tried the brakes on the next car, they too were defective. The worker jumped as the cars began to pick up speed. At the bottom of the upper grade near the switch, the speeding cars struck another loaded car and wrecked it where it stood. The cars went through the switch, off the end of the track, and were totally demolished.

    "The contract for Kansas City was filled in March 1888. The four quarry openings used to fill this order were abandoned and the men laid off. By May 1889, a stone crusher was installed, and the quarries were back to capacity shipping a dozen cars a day. Employment returned to 100 men.

    "In 1904, stone from the Buckhorn quarries was selected for the new Denver Mint along with Tennessee and Vermont marble. Many other important structures in Denver, including the entrance to City Park, the Tabor Grand Opera House and even the State Capitol, were built from Buckhorn stone.

    "The use of concrete as a structural material replaced stone foundations during the 1920s. Asphalt began to erode the paving stone business, and the industry dwindled to the supply of ornamental stone and flagging.

    "The Arkins post office closed in 1906, and in 1926, a flood damaged the trestle of the Buckhorn Creek. At this time, 2.3 miles of track was removed and in 1937, another section of track was taken up. In 1965, a heavy rainstorm damaged beyond economical repair the plaster mill at the south end of the Devil's Backbone. The Buckhorn Branch was further reduced in length to Loveland.

    "Today (Sept. 2001), the Arkins quarry remains in operation, but not on such a grand scale.

    "For more information about Arkins, refer to Kenneth Jessen's 'Railroads of Northern Colorado'and Ansel Watrous' 'History of Larimer County, Colorado.'"

  • Marble, Colorado – Colorado-Yule Marble Company, Inc., Stock Offering, March 16, 1908 (The following stock offering is from Pennsylvania School Journal, by Pennsylvania. Department of Public Instruction, Pennsylvania, Department of Common Schools, Pennsylvania State Education Association, published by Pennsylvania State Education Association, 1907, Vol. 56, pp. 535. This publication is available for reading or downloading to your computer in PDF format on the Google Book Search – Full View Books.)

    Colorado-Yule Marble Company, Inc., Stock Offering, March 16, 1908, Quarries: Marble, Colorado; Offices: New York City.

    The Colorado-Yule Marble Company, Incorporated in Colorado

    Quarries: Marble, Colorado - General Offices: 320 Fifth Avenue, New York

    Capital Stock, Common, $3,000,000, Preferred, $2,000,000, $675,000 in reserve to retire bonds

    Par value of shares, $100, Bonds, $675,000

    Treasury, $800,000 Preferred; $47,500 Common

    Officers and Directors

    Channing F. Meek, Marble City, Colo., President

    Charles Austin Bates, New York, Vice-President

    Spencer Welton, New York, Treasurer and Asst. Secretary

    Dr. Wm. J. Chandler, S. Orange, N.J., Secretary

    Auditors: John R. Sparrow & Co., Chartered Accountants, 60 Wall Street, New York

    H. P. Bope, Pittsburg, First Vice-President Carnegie Steel Co.

    J. E. Patterson, Wilkesbarre, Pa., Lumber

    Professor C. F. Brackett, Princeton, Director Electrical Engineering

    Henry J. Utz, Rochester, Shoe Manufacturer

    J. E. Haskell, Bradford, Pa., Oil Producer

    Charles Austin Bates, New York, President Knickerbocker Syndicate

    Property

    Located in Gunnison County, Colorado, on the Yule Creek and Crystal River, is held under perfect title only once removed from the United States Government.

    216 acres of white marble. 156 Acres of blue marble. 290 acres of slate

    70 acres mineral lands (7 claims). 600 acres suburban land. 341 lots in Marble City (about 60 acres).

    The land surrounding and controlling the Kline Falls on the Crystal River. These Falls will produce 2,500 horse-power.

    Total land area about 1,400 acres.

    Depth of White Marble deposit, 100 to 200 feet.

    Depth of Blue Marble deposit – 100 feet.

    Cubic feet of White Marble – 704,236,000

    Cubic feet of Blue Marble – 560,236,000

    Entire capital stock Crystal River & San Juan Railway (Cost $120,600.63).

    Sawing and finishing mill (228 ft. x 65 ft., cost $95,368.98 to Jan. 1, 1908 ).

    600 H.P. Hydro-Electric Plant with line to quarries and mills (Cost $71,516.96 to Jan. 1, 1908)

    Marble City Telephone Plant, Quarry Equipment and Development (cost $124,232.70 to Jan. 1, 1908).

    Value and Profits

    Value of White Marble at $4 per cubic foot, $2,800,000,000.

    Cost of quarrying and delivery in New York City, including all expenses, $2 per cubic foot, $1,400,000,000.

    Net value of White Marble, $1,400,000,000.

    Capacity of quarry, June 1, 1908 1,500 cubic feet per day. Value at $6 per cubic foot, $9,000 – net profit, $6,000 per day – net annual profit - $1,800,000.

    35 per cent. dividends on $5,000,000 stock - $1,750,000

    Annual Surplus - $50,000

    Net profit on basis of 5,000 cubic feet per day at actual selling price of such marble in the New York market to-day, $20,000 per day - $6,000,000 per year – indicating possible dividends of 120 per cent. per year.

    Value of marble represented by each $100 share, $56,000.

    -------------------

    Actual value of each $100 share of stock on a 40 per cent. dividend basis, $500 to $800.

    Actual value of each $100 share of stock on a 100 per cent. dividend basis, $2,000.

    (March 16, 1908)

    A limited amount of Preferred Stock of The Colorado-Yule Marble Company is now offered to investors at $110 per share.

    This stock carries 6% regular preferred, cumulative dividends, and participates fully in additional earnings of the company. We are prepared to prove that actual dividends of 20% to 35% are as little as may be reasonably depended upon, and that even 200% per annum is not improbable within five to seven years. Full particulars on request.

    We refer by permission to Hon. J. P. McCaskey, Lancaster, Pa.

    Charles Austin Bates, President

    The Knickerbocker Syndicate – 320 Fifth Avenue, New York

  • Marble, Colorado (book) – Marble: A Town Built on Dreams, Vol. 1, by Oscar McCollum, Sundance Publications, Limited, 1992, ISBN: 0913582557. Volume I includes the Crystal River Railroad and the Carbondale-Redstone-Coalbasin region, as well as the story of the Colorado-Yule Marble Company's struggles in Marble, CO, 352 pages with 380 black and white and 50 full color views.
  • Marble, Colorado (book) – Marble: A Town Built on Dreams, Vol. I1, by Oscar McCollum, Sundance Publications, Limited, 1993. Volume II includes Col. Meek's management of the marble company, coverage of the Crystal River and San Juan Railroad's trackage, as well as material on the quarrying of marble and the Colorado-Yule tramway, 352 pages with 367 black and white and 33 full color views.
  • Marble, Colorado – Colorado Marble (Yule Marble), presented by Andrew Alden on his About Geology web site.
  • The Colorado Yule Marble Quarry: Our National Treasure, Birthplace of The Lincoln Memorial and Tomb of The Unknowns (DVD), Ron Bailey Photography, 2009. (This very informative, beautifully photographed over three-hour presentation is available on amazon.com if you are interested in obtaining a copy.)

    Description: “In the heart of our nation, in the heart of Treasure Mountain, lies the birthplace of The Tomb of The Unknowns and The Lincoln Memorial, the historic Colorado Yule Marble Quarry: Our National Treasure. Included in this one-of-a-kind comprehensive presentation…The Final Tour of the Quarry, conducted by senior quarry employee and expert, Gary Bascom. A tour of The Working Quarry via unprecedented access to an operating quarry, narrated by Bob Collier, quarry worker. The Search for The Tomb Die Block, the only complete documentation, narrated by Ron Bailey. The History of The Marble Finishing Mill, narrated by Oscar McCollum, Jr., Marble Historian. A replica of the only surviving 1916 ‘Lincoln Memorial Edition’ of The Marble Booster Newspaper included in this Lincoln Bicentennial Edition. …and a special tribute to The Unknowns, Our National Heroes laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, President Abraham Lincoln, & The Colorado Yule Marble Quarry. Featuring Photography by Ron Bailey, Photographer of The Tomb Restoration Project at the Colorado Yule Marble Quarry. More about this DVD is available at: Ron Bailey Photography & The Colorado Yule Marble Quarry: Our National Treasure.

  • Marble, Colorado - Colorado Yule Marble: Building Stone of the Lincoln Memorial, U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2162, by Elaine S. McGee, Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey, 1999, 43 pp., in PDF format. (A brief history of the Yule Quarry is included in Appendix C.)
  • Marble, Colorado - Colorado Yule Marble Quarry, presented by the Marble Tourism Association (photographs and history)
  • Marble, Gunnison County, Colorado – Colorado Yule Marble Co. Marble Quarry. In 1995 the Colorado Yule Marble Co. was operating a marble quarry in Denver County. At that time the company headquarters was located in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. (From United States Geological Survey, "Mineral Industries Surveys - Directory of Principal Dimension Stone Producers in the United States in 1995," prepared in January 1997.)
  • Marble, Colorado - “Miners' quarry: The perfect marble block,” article by Carrie Click, January 5, 2003, Glenwood Springs Post Independent - 2014 Grand Avenue - Glenwood Springs, CO 81601-4162.
  • Marble, Colorado – Yule Marble Quarry Slide Show, Dr. Vince Matthews, Senior Science Advisor, Colorado Geological Survey. (Use Microsoft Internet Explorer to view the slide show.)
  • Marble, Colorado - Yule Marble Quarry Panoramavision Photo Show, presented on Francisco’s Fine Art web site. A slide show of several aspects of the Yule Marble Quarry are shown in Panoramavision in addition to many examples of the fine art of Francisco Sotomayor created from white Yule Marble.
  • Marble, Colorado - Yule Marble Quarry Photograph, Field Trip inside the Yule Marble Quarry by the Colorado Geological Survey.
  • Marble, Colorado – Ghost Town Gallery – Marble (photographs) (Scroll down to "Colorado - Marble.")
  • Marble, Colorado – Yule Marble Quarry Area – Colorado Scenery, on Grumpy's Gathering Place web site.
  • Marble, Colorado
    Hoist That Takes the Marble to the Loading Station, Marble Colorado (unmailed postcard - Isler) Hoist That Takes the Marble to the Loading Station, Marble Colorado
    Hauling Marble 9300 Feet Above Sea Level, Marble Colorado (unmailed postcard - Isler). Hauling Marble 9300 Feet Above Sea Level, Marble Colorado
    Load of Marble Leaving Quarry, Marble, Colorado (unmailed postcard - Isler). Load of Marble Leaving Quarry, Marble, Colorado
  • Marble, Colorado - Yule Marble Quarry (3 Room View)
    Yule Marble Quarry (3 Room View) (postcard; Norman D. Taylor, Denver, Colorado; unmailed) Yule Marble Quarry - Three Room View
  • Marble (near), Colorado - Inside the Yule Colorado Marble Quarry, Marble, Colo.
    Inside the Yule Colorado Marble Quarry, Marble, Colo. (postcard photograph, No. T-22; Sanborn; early 1900s; unmailed) Inside the Yule Colorado Marble Quarry, T-22 postcard photograph
  • Marble, Colorado - Colorado-Yule Marble Co. Mill Frame (postcard photograph; 1907; unmailed)
    “Beginning to Frame Mill of Colorado-Yule Marble Co., Marble, Colo., March 1907.” (postcard photograph; 1907; unmailed) Colorado-Yule Marble co. Mill Frame, 1907 postcard photograph
  • Marble, Colorado – Colorado Yule Marble Co. Mill at Marble, Colo. (postcard photograph)
    Colorado Yule Marble Co. Mill at Marble, Colo. (postcard photograph; by Isler; mid-1900s; unmailed) Colorado Yule Marble Company Mill at Marble Colorado, postcard photograph
  • Marble (near), Colorado - Marble Yard at Marble, Colorado (postcard photograph)
    Marble Yard at Marble, Colorado (postcard photograph; by Isler; mid-1900s; unmailed) Marble Yard at Colorado Yule Marble Co., Marble, Colorado, postcard photograph by Isler
  • Marble, Colorado - “An interior view of a part of the Finishing Mills,” Colorado Yule Marble Co. (postcard photograph)
    An interior view of a part of the Finishing Mills” (postcard photograph; early 1900s; unmailed) Interior view of a part of the Colorado Yule Marble Co. Finishing Mills, Marble, Colorado, postcard photograph
  • Marble, Colorado - Finished Drums for the Lincoln Memorial
    Finished Drums for the Lincoln Memorial (postcard photograph;unmailed) Photograph postcard showing finished drums for Lincoln Memorial
  • Marble (near), Gunnison County, Colorado - Yule Marble Quarry (Also see under "Yule Marble" below.)
  • Marble, Colorado - the Osgood Quarry in the Marble, Colorado area at the base of Treasure Mountain just east of the Yule Creek This article entitled, "The making of a marble marble" is about making marble marbles (those little round balls). A photograph and map are included of the quarry. Today the quarry is operated by The Redstone Marble Company. Originally large blocks of white marble were quarried from this site. <http://www.marblemarbles.com/news.htm> (This link is no longer available)
  • Marble, Colorado. (Near Yule Marble Quarry) Marble is located near the Yule Marble Quarry. This site presents a short history of marble in addition to photographs of Marble, the cemetery, the area around Marble, and the Marble Mill site.
  • Marble Area of Colorado – The Osgood Quarry and the Redstone Marble Co. The Osgood Quarry, with a large deposit of pure white marble, dates back to 1890. It is located in the Marble, Colorado, area, and the quarry is located at the base of Treasure Mountain east of the Yule Creek.
    <http://www.marblemarbles.com/news.htm> (This link is no longer available.)
  • Marble, Gunnison County, Colorado (History of the town and the quarries)
  • Marble (near), Colorado - Yule Marble or Yule Colorado Marble

    (The following is taken from "Prairie, Peak and Plateau: A Guide to the Geology of Colorado," Colorado Geological Survey Bulletin 32, by John and Halka Chronic, 1972, pg. 99. If you wish a copy, write to the Colorado Geological Survey, 1845 Sherman Street, Denver, Colorado 80203. Used with the permission of the Colorado Geological Survey.) The accompanying photograph is taken from the above publication.

    "In Colorado, as in most parts of the world, building stone for local use is quarried locally. Two of the state's stones, however - Yule Marble from the Crystal River Canyon, and Lyons Sandstone of the Front Range - have been more widely used.

    "The Yule Marble, or Yule Colorado Marble, was produced by metamorphism of Leadville Limestone in an area intruded by the Treasure Mountain Granite, thirty-five miles south of Glenwood Springs. This exquisite marble, which has graced many famous monuments and buildings (among them the Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier), is known for its almost uniform snowy whiteness and regular, fine crystallization. Although its beauty, massive character, and uniformity made it a sought-after ornamental stone, quarrying was economically marginal because of the remoteness of the site. In spite of this, nearly $7,000,000 worth of the marble was produced before the quarry closed in 1940."

    This photograph is taken from Prairie, Peak and Plateau: A Guide to the Geology of Colorado,Colorado Geological Survey Bulletin 32, by John and Halka Chronic, 1972, pg. 99. Used with the permission of the Colorado Geological Survey.) Entrance to the Yule Marble quarry on the flanks of Treasure Mountain in the Elk Mountains taken by Vanderwilt of the USGS in 1937

    The caption reads as follows:

    "Quarrying of Paleozoic limestones and dolomites along the east flank of the Rampart Range northwest of Colorado Springs has badly defaced a prominent mountain backdrop. Recent seeding efforts by quarry operators are returning the exhausted part of the quarry to its original lightly vegetated condition, and hopefully, as the quarry is depleted, the scar will disappear."

  • Marble, Colorado - Colorado Yule Marble Quarry
    Colorado Yule Marble Quarry (postcard photograph by Isler; unmailed) Colorado Yule Marble Quarry
  • Marble, Colorado - Yule Marble Quarry
    "This is a shot of a derrick (sic) at the entrance to the large room at the Yule Quarry, where marble was mined, thus how the town of Marble was named." (color postcard #73; Sebring's Transmountain Views, 606 W. New York, Gunnison, Colo. 81230; Color by Mike Roberts, Berkeley, Calif. 94710; C27364 - Color photo by Norman Taylor; unmailed) Photograph of a derrick at the entrance of Yule Marble Quarry
  • Marble (near), Colorado - Marble Quarry Entrance to Marble Quarry near Marble, Colo.
    Marble Quarry Entrance to Marble Quarry near Marble, Colo. (postcard photograph, No. 1436; early 1900s; unmailed.) Colorado Marble Quarry Entrance
  • Marble, Colorado - Yule Marble,” presented on Wikipedia. (photographs and history - Also see the external links listed at the bottom of the page.)
  • Marble, Colorado - The Marble Age,” in Sunset,   June, 2001  by Peter Fish. (Article presented on the FindArticles web site.)
  • Marble, Colorado - Yule Marble Quarry, Colorado Yule Marble Co., and Marble, Colorado, Photographs are available at the History of the American West, 1860-1920: Photographs from the Collection of the Denver Public Library web site. (photographs)
  • Marble Quarry Gulch - Quarry Days in the Ute Trail Area, by Dick Dixon, Colorado Central Magazine, February 1998.
  • Masonville, Colorado - Colorado Flagstone (present-day company) P.O. Box 63, Masonville, Colorado 80541.  Physical address:  4301 North County Road 27, Loveland, Co 80538.  Phone: 970-203-1072, Fax:  970-203-0130. (You will find photographs of the flagstone quarry throughout the web site.)

    The following quotation is from the Colorado Flagstone web site:

    “Since 1986, Colorado Flagstone, Inc. has been supplying stone masons, builders, architects and landscape professionals with the highest quality Sandstone.”

  • Mount Sanitas History - Lyon Sandstone Quarries, presented by the City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks Department.

    The sandstone quarries in this area during the 1920s were owned by the University of Colorado, and the stone was used to build many of the campus buildings, including Helms and Sewell Hall. Due to danger and high operating costs, the quarries were abandoned. In 1969 the City of Boulder purchased the quarries and later in 1974 the surrounding land was also purchased.

  • The Pikes Peak Area - Stone Quarries in the Pikes Peak Area - the Rio Grande Railroad. "Taming a Wilderness," Part V - Rapid Growth of Rio Grande Territory Justifies General Palmer's Faith; Development of the Pikes Peak Region No. 8," from the Denver and Rio Grande Western Magazine, June 1926, presented by Ghost Depot - Rio Grande Railroad (photographs and history)
  • Pueblo, Colorado – the Pueblo Limestone Supply Company (From Stone: An Illustrated Magazine, Vol. XII, No. 1, December, 1895, “Notes From Quarry and Shop” section, Stone Publishing Co., New York, pp. 84 and 90.)

    “Financial - The Pueblo (Col.) Limestone Supply Company; incorporators. D. Blackwell, E. C. Betts and R. A. Simpson. Capital stock, $10,000; principal office at Pueblo.”

    “Another incorporation certificate filed was that of the Pueblo (Col.) Limestone Supply ‘Company, organized for the purpose of buying and selling stone, leasing and operating stone quarries for the purpose of fluxing and building. The capital stock is $10,000 divided into 1,000 shares of $10 each. John D. Blackwell, E. C. Betts and R. A. Simpson appear as incorporators and directors.”

  • Pueblo (near), Colorado - Turkey Creek Sandstone Quarry (today a part of Fort Carson)

    According to the Pueblo County Historical Society’s web site, there was a quarry near Pueblo that quarried Turkey Creek Sandstone, which was used in the County Courthouse and other Pueblo buildings. According to the GlobalSecurity.org web site, Fort Carson was created as one of many new military installations in 1942 during World War II.

  • Red Rock Canyon, Colorado - Sandstone Quarries (Lyons and Dakota Sandstone) (The link from which this information was obtained is no longer available.)
    <http://www.saveredrockcanyon.com/index.htm>

    The Red Rock Canyon area includes three distinct canyons, separated by ridges of Lyons and Dakota sandstone.

  • Salida Granite Co. Federal Quarry(Chaffee County) - From Turret to Salt Lake City Mormon Battalion Monument in Salt Lake City, Utah, 1927. Article by Dick Dixon, Colorado Central Magazine, January 1998.
  • Salida Granite Company Federal Quarry (Chaffee County) - John Earl Herschberger, the Man who Carved the Lions. Article by Dick Dixon, Colorado Central Magazine, January 1998.
  • Salida Granite Company Federal Quarry (Chaffee County) - Hard Rock from Turret (Granite) Article by Dick Dixon, Colorado Central Magazine, December 1997.
  • Salida Granite Co. Federal Quarry (Chaffee County) - Quarry Days in the Ute Trail Area, Article by Dick Dixon. This quarry produced the Salida rose pink granite about the 1920s that was used to build the Mormon Battalion Monument.
  • Stout, Northern Colorado - Flagstone Quarries. "In it's heyday, Stout was a boomtown.- Now, part of it's under Horsetooth Reservoir." This article was originally published in the Greeley Tribune. (The link from which this information was obtained is no longer available.) <http://abouthorsetooth.com/html/stout.asp>
    • Horsetooth Reservoir - Present-day photographs by Marek Uliasz. This site includes photographs of Quarry Cove in addition to other beautiful photographs of the reservoir.
  • Trinidad, Las Animas County, Colorado - Stone Quarries in the Trinidad Region (history) The following material is from an article entitled, "Library serving community since 1904," written by Tamara Louden-Sundahl, Staff Writer, Trinidad Plus, May 9, 2000. Stone used in the construction of the Trinidad Carnegie Public Library originated from local sandstone quarries. Although there were several small quarries in the region, three main quarries provided the stone (mainly sandstone) during the Victorian period for the area. (The web address from which the above information was obtained is no longer available.)
    <http://www.trinidadco.com/stories2000/news/05/09/sidebar_carnegie.html>
    • The Trinidad Carnegie Library, presented by the Carnegie Public Library (photographs and history) The following information is taken from "Trinidad's Library Built in 1904, by Rona Stansbury, February 24, 1997." (The link from which the following information was obtained is no longer available.)
      <http://www.trinidadco.com/walkingtour/carnegie.asp>

      A donation of $15,000 from Andrew Carnegie provided the funds to build the library in Trinidad. John G. Haskell, from Topeka, Kansas, was selected as the architect for the Neoclassical library building in 1903. The contract was signed by a local firm, Crouch & Smith, in October 1903 to construct the library. The sandstone used in the construction was quarried locally at the James Radford Quarry, and William McDonald was the chosen stone mason for the project.

  • Turret (east of), Chaffee County, Colorado - Stonehenge Quarry East of Turret, Colorado - Quarry Days in the Ute Trail Area, Article by Dick Dixon, Colorado Central Magazine, February 1998.
  • Turret (east of), Chaffee County, Colorado - Cameron Mountain Granite Quarry East of Turret - Quarry Days in the Ute Trail Area, Article by Dick Dixon. This quarry produced a dark blue granite.
  • Yule Quarry History - Colorado Yule Marble Company (1886 to 1941) - by Sierra Minerals Corp. (present-day company). This article includes photographs of operations in the Yule Quarry in early 1900s, The single largest block of marble (110) tons used in the Tomb of the Unknowns, Washington, D.C.; the largest marble fabricating plant in the work in the town of Marble; including the history of the Yule Marble Quarry. (The link from which this information was obtained is no longer available.)
    <http://www.yulemarble.com/history.htm>
    • April 27, 2004 - Polycor acquires Colorado Yule Marble property. (The link from which the following information was obtained is no longer available.)
      <http://www.polycor.com/html/en/poly_announcement_20040427.htm>

      In this announcement, Polycor announced “acquisition of assets and rights of Colorado Yule Marble property owned by Sierra Minerals Corporation.” From that time Polycor announced it would be “distributing and marketing Colorado Yule white marble through its American subsidiaries.”

    • Yule Marble from Answers.com / Wikipedia.
    • Colorado Yule Marble - Building Stone of the Lincoln Memorial, U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2162.

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