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Home > California > CA - Quarry Links & Photographs > Amador County > List of Stone Quarries, etc.
(* Please note this list does not include sand or gravel quarries.)
Amador County (?), California - the Amador Marble Company (The following information was transcribed by Ruth Weld, Contra Costa County Historical Society.)
Column headings to the following information: File location/Box No.; Year; Estate of Deceased/Probable Residence; and Voucher Information:
“B31 - 1874 - Thos. Young / San Pablo - Amador Marble Co.; made monument.”
“B20 - 1889 - Wm. S. McClane / ?? (Hamilton & Brown, undertakers) - Amador Marble Co.; headstone $85”
Column headings to the following information: File location/Box No. - Date - Name - Document No. - Creditors:
“B31 - 1874 - Thomas Young estate / San Pablo res. - 1874 - Doc 5 - Creditors W. W. McKenzie, Undertaker / Amador Marble Co. / Made monument”
(The following list does not have column headings in the notes.)
(B20) “McClane, Wm. S. - d 29 Jan. 1889 ...
“Amador Marble Co., Dec. 12, 1890 - $85 Headstone”
Mine name: China Hill Claim; Operator: Kreth, Inc.; Address & County: 601 State Hwy. 124, Ione, CA 95640, Amador County; Phone: (209) 274-2446; Latitude: 38.43, Longitude: -120.62, and Mine location number: Map No. 17; Mineral commodity: Limestone.
Amador County,California - Giacomo Cuneo - Marble Quarrying
(The following obituary was contributed by Susan Guym, May 1998. The obituary is from the Fresno Bee, Monday, June 20, 1927, page 2, column 4.)
California Pioneer, Marble Miner, Is Dead
“San Francisco, June 20....Giacomo Cuneo, 85, member of a prominent local family, and for nearly seventy years a resident of California, died here yesterday at the home of a nephew.
“Coming to California from Italy in 1860, Cuneo became extensively connected with many mining enterprises in Amador County, operating a marble quarry there for some time. Five nieces and four nephews survive him.”
(Map No.) (blank); (Claim, mine, or group) Ellis Bros. Ranch; (Owner name, address) J. M. and F. J. Ellis, Box 98, Jackson; (Location) Sec. 30, T. 6 N., R. 11 E., M.D.M.; (Remarks) No work done; several limestone outcrops.
See: Ione (north east and east of), Amador County, California - the Allen Estate (Limestone)
Mine name: Ione Quarry; Operator: Calwest Rock Products; Address & County: P.O. Box 1609, Ione, CA 95640, Amador County; Phone: (209) 274-2436; Latitude: 38.37, Longitude: -121.00, and Mine location number: Map No. 18; Mineral commodity: Stone.
Mine name: Jackson Valley Quarry; Operator: George Reed Inc.; Address & County: P.O. Box 548, Sonora, CA 95370, Amador County; Phone: (209) 984-5202; Latitude: 38.31, Longitude: -120.96, and Mine location number: Map No. 21; Mineral commodity: Stone.
"Wait marble deposit is owned by A. L. Wait. It is near the state highway 8 miles north of Carbondale railway station by good road and close to Wait's Station.
"This deposit received favorable mention in the fourth (Hanks, H. G. 84, p. 108) and sixth (Hanks, H. G. 86, pp. 22-23) reports of the State Mineralogist, and in the latter was described as 'roseo antico' from its similarity to a marble of that name which was highly regarded by the ancient Romans. In that report its specific gravity is given as 2.828, its hardness as 3. It is a hard and durable stone and takes a high polish, having a beautiful cherry-red color due to iron compounds. It outcrops over an area of 160 by 400 feet and the surface is flat. The only work done on it is a drill hole said to be 45 feet deep, which was drilled in 1924. This is claimed to be entirely in the marble. Nearby there is a small outcrop of the 'verde antique' type of stone, serpentine veined with magnesite. Nothing has been done on this."
(Map No.) (blank); (Claim, mine, or group) Wait Marble; (Owner name, address) Greilich Bros., Drytown; (Location) Sec. 21, T. 7, R. 10, M.D.M.; (Remarks) Marble is hard, durable, and takes a high polish, having cherry red color due to iron oxides. It crops out over area 160 x 400 feet. One hole drilled 1924. (Logan 27:300, 47:212)
"Blakely and/or Garibaldi Ranches. Located in N ½ sec. 33, T. 7 N., R. 10 E., M. D. As no one was in the region to point out property lines at the time of visit, and time was not taken to determine these, the writer is uncertain as to ownership of deposit. It is 2 ½ miles from Drytown and 7 miles by road from the railroad at Ione.
"The main outcrop strikes N. 30° W. and is continuous for a width of 120 feet and a length of 930 feet. It is likely that a little stripping would reveal a maximum width of 260 feet, as the stone outcrops at intervals for that width. Backs of 50 feet could be had for nearly the entire length by running cuts eastward for about 135 feet from the valley west of deposit. No work has been done.
"This deposit is rather hard, tough gray magnesian limestone, quite different physically and chemically from the high-calcium limestones common in the region. A sample was taken across a width of 120 feet and the following analysis was reported by Abbot A. Hanks, Inc.:
Insoluble, 3.55 percent
Ferric oxide and aluminic oxide, 0.30 percent
Calcium carbonate, 71.70 percent
Magnesium carbonate, 24.31 percent
Total - 99.86 percent"Closer investigation, which is impossible without some trenching and sampling of separate sections, might indicate the presence of bands of dolomite. About a mile of road would be needed for hauling."
(Map No.) (blank); (Claim, mine, or group) Garibaldi Ranch; (Owner name, address) Theresa Garibaldi, Amador City; (Location) Sec. N ½ 33, T. 7 N., R. 10 E., M.D.M.; (Remarks) Main limestone outcrop is 120 feet wide and 930 feet long. High magnesian content. No work has been done. (Logan 47:210.)
"Fiddletown deposit is owned by the Pacific Portland Cement Company, 417 Montgomery Street, San Francisco. The company has 520 acres in secs. 5, 6, 7, T. 7 N., R. 12 E., M. D., 12 ½ miles northeast of Martell railroad station by road and at an elevation of 2000 to 2300 feet. This land contains a large part of the large and irregular outcrops of limestone 4 miles east of Fiddletown, on the old McCormick Ranch.
"The deposit is partly covered by andesite and gravel, and partly by soil, so that the full extent could only be determined by drilling. What is probably the largest continuous outcrop was followed for half a mile west to east and for 500 feet from north to south. This part is a soft, easily fractured, saccharoid limestone, dark gray to pure white in color, and generally showing narrow, gray stripes. Outcrops along the flat south side rise scarcely 1 or 2 feet above the surface. The north end is covered for 1000 feet by andesite; the highest outcrop is at 2283 feet, allowing maximum backs of 150 feet in this part of deposit.
"On the south in section 7 there are several flat, separate outcrops probably linked underground. Toward the east these lead to an area of old placer workings where the eroded limestone has been exposed for a width of 500 feet.
"A sample taken across the first-mentioned section, 500 feet north to south, gave the following analysis by Abbot A. Hanks, Inc., August 23, 1943:
Insoluble, 0.60 percent
Ferric oxide and aluminic oxide, 0.22 percent
Calcium carbonate, 95.31 percent
Magnesium carbonate, 2.98 percent
Total, 99.11 percent"This deposit, which is entirely undeveloped, would yield many millions of tons, as the single exposure first described would produce approximately 100,000 tons per foot in depth. However, it is comparatively distant from railroad and may not be opened for many years."
(Map No.) (blank); (Claim, mine, or group) Fiddletown; (Owner name, address) Pacific Portland Cement Co., 417 Montgomery St., San Francisco; (Location) Sec. 5, 6, 7, T. 7 N., R. 12 E., M.D.M.; (Remarks) Large and irregular limestone outcrops. Deposit partly covered by andesite and gravel, partly by soil. Undeveloped. (Logan 47:210.)
".Near the east end of town is the Schallhorn Blacksmith and Wagon Shop (Fig. 117), a massive and excellently constructed building erected in 1870 of rectangular hewn blocks (measuring 12 by 18 by 10 inches) of Valley Springs rhyolite tuff which is easily worked when first quarried but hardens after exposure. The source of this tuff, a quarry about 1.5 miles east of Fiddletown, may be seen across a field to the south of the road."
"Allen Estate is held by George Allen, Sutter Creek. This is a large property devoted to grazing, lying east and northeast of Ione. Beginning in sec. 3, T. 6 N., R. 10 E., M. D., 7 miles northeast of Ione by road, and occurring at intervals going south to within a short distance of the Amador Central Railroad there are a number of limestone outcrops on this land, but only a few of those seen were large enough to offer promise. One of the latter from which a sample was taken for analysis in 1944 has a maximum width at the surface of 150 feet and the main body is about 350 feet long, but limestone outcrops at intervals for 1800 feet along the strike (north-northwest) and trenching or drilling might reveal more than is now indicated by outcrops. The limestone is gray, with medium crystals but compact and tough. Backs of about 100 feet could be had.
"The report of analysis by Abbot A. Hanks, Inc., was as follows:
Insoluble, 1.60 percent
Ferric and Aluminic oxides, 0.42 percent
Calcium carbonate, 96.90 percent
Magnesium carbonate, 1.06 percent"Only a little surface prospecting had been done."
"Garibaldi Ranch. Address Theresa Garibaldi, Amador City. Some small outcrops of good-grade gray crystalline limestone were noted probably in the NE ¼ sec. 3 T. 6 N., R. 10 E., M. D., less than half a mile north of Horse Creek. those seen were not large enough to warrant sampling, but trenching might reveal more."
"Amador Lime Rock Company Quarry. Situated about 4 ½ miles northeast of Ione, on the Bonham ranch. The deposit is a compact blue gray, stratified limestone, which is quarried by hand. This deposit shows a thickness of more than 100 feet. The lime is burned for local use in an intermittent stone kiln. Three men employed (circa 1914). Amador Lime Rock Company, owner, Jackson. W. F. Detert, manager."
"Amador Lime Rock Deposit. Address Culbert Estate, c/o Ralph McGee, Jackson, California. Located in sec. 16, T. 6 N., R. 10 E., M. D., 4 miles northeast of Ione.
"This deposit was worked in a small way from 1859 to 1910. Evidently a large part of the limestone burned in the old style pot kiln was gathered from the surface, as only shallow pits are to be seen. Much of the present deposit was removed by erosion, and backs at present available would be limited due to the gentle slopes. It would be necessary to sink a shaft to obtain any more than a small tonnage. There are two exposures of a good grade of limestone, each 85 feet wide; and along the strike, but not continuously exposed, this grade of stone was traced for 700 feet. On a hill a quarter of a mile distant from this property was quoted in 1912 by Burchard (12, p. 660),* which showed 97.78 percent CaCO3. It is a light gray, compact, finely crystalline stone. (*Ernest F. Burchard, "Lime," Mineral Resources of the United States, 1911, pt. 2, pp. 645-718, 1912.)
(Map No.) (blank); (Claim, mine, or group) Amador Lime Rock; (Owner name, address) Pa; (Location) Sec. 16, T. 6 N., R. 10 E., M.D.M.; (Remarks) Worked in small way from 1859 to 1910; shallow pits on property. Limestone is light gray, compact, finely crystalline. (Aubury 06:64; Logan 47:208.)
See: Ione (south of), Amador County, California - the O'Neal Sandstone Quarry below.
See: Ione (north east and east of), Amador County, California - the Allen Estate above.
"Hodge Limestone Quarry. In Sec. 33, T. 7 N., R. 10 E., about 3 miles north of Ione. The croppings can be traced on this ranch for over ½ mile, with a width of 150 to 200 feet. Idle. Alexander Hodge, owner."
Also see: Drytown (2 miles south of), Amador County, California - Blakely and/or Garibaldi Ranches above for information on the same property circa 1947.
"Late in 1945, A. Teichert and Son., Inc., 1846 Thirty-seventh Street, Sacramento, began work on a similar outcrop on this property (the Allen Estate) 1 ½ miles north of the line of the Amador Central Railroad. Lump limestone was mined from surface workings, crushed to about 6-inch size and hauled under contract to a nearby railroad spur track east of Ione. Here it was dumped directly from the trucks into gondola cars for shipment to sugar factories."
"Amador County Limekiln; J. H. Bonham, Ione, proprietor; Theo. Gebhart, Ione, manager. Situated about 4 miles by wagon road north of east of Ione. The lime is burned in an intermittent stone kiln erected by Mr. Bonham in 1859, which has been in operation ever since that time. They first gathered up the limestone boulders over the surface, and later opened two quarries, one at the kiln and another some distance southeast of the kiln.
"The stone at the kiln is a compact, blue-gray, stratified limestone, which is quarried by hand and lifted by a derrick to the top of the kiln. It is burned with wood obtained in the vicinity of the kiln. It appears to be a comparatively pure carbonate of lime, which gives good satisfaction for plaster and mortar. It is used almost exclusively in the buildings in Amador County, and is delivered by wagons from the kilns. None of it is shipped out of the county. The production was 1700 barrels of lime in 1904.
"The deposit at the quarry shows a thickness of more than 100 feet, and as the contact on either side is not exposed, the total thickness of the bed is not shown, but from the scattered outcrops in the vicinity of the quarry it appears to be quite heavy and apparently inexhaustible.
"The numerous fissures and joints in the stone prohibit the quarrying of dimension stone for building purposes, but it is admirably adapted for use as quicklime."
"O'Neal Sandstone Quarry, in Sec. 27, T. 5 N., R. 10 E.; Thomas Barnett, Ritchey P. O., owner; about 8 miles south of Ione. This red sandstone quarry was opened by David O'Neal about twenty years ago and was worked for a number of years. It has not been quarried for ten years or more. Stone from this quarry was used for the entrance and trimmings of the beautiful Preston School buildings at Ione, in the California Bank Building at Sacramento, and in the Chronicle Building at San Francisco. The stone was hauled by wagon to Ione, the nearest railway point, from which it was shipped by rail. It has a warm, rich, bright red color, and even, rather fine grain, and works nicely under the hammer. When first quarried it is soft, but hardens on seasoning. The quarry face shows a maximum thickness of from 18 to 20 feet of red sandstone in one massive bed, which lies with a slight dip to the north, and will probably show a greater thickness back from the present quarry face. The sandstone at the north end of the quarry opening is of a quality inferior to that farther south along the face, as it contains many spots and blemishes of the yellow oxide.
"About 100 yards north of the red sandstone quarry, and from 30 to 40 feet higher on the hill, a small opening has been made into a massive snow-white sandstone. The thickness of this stone exposed in the opening is about 10 feet, but the total thickness of the bed is probably much greater. The white sandstone is a beautiful building stone and it is pure and free from iron, so that the waste from the building-stone quarry could all be used in glass or pottery works."
Ill. No. 49. Ione Red Sandstone Quarry, near Ione, Amador County.
"Barnett Sandstone Quarry. See our Bulletin 38, p. 117. In Sec. 27, T. 5 N., R. 10 E., Richard Barnett, Ritchey post office, owner; about 8 miles south of Ione. The products are red and white sandstone. The quarry face on red sandstone shows a maximum thickness of from 18' to 20' in one massive bed, which lies with a slight dip to the north. About 100 yards north of the red sandstone quarry, and from 30' to 40' higher on the hill, a small opening has been made into a massive snow-white sandstone. The thickness of this stone is pure and free from iron."
"On Lane Ranch, Mr. Yager, owner, 1 ½ miles east of Ione, some preliminary work was done a few years ago in opening a slate quarry. Two openings have been made; the south one shows only little promise of good slate in large dimensions. The north opening, about 250 yards down the gulch, appears to be free from quartz veins, and promises a good quality of slate, but the opening is not yet deep enough.
"The thick belt of Mariposa slate, the same that has been quarried in El Dorado County, crosses the county and is promising at sufficient depth in a number of places, but the above are the only openings as yet made in Amador County."
"On the Tonzi ranch 6 miles northeast of Ione, in Sec. 4, T. 6 N., R. 10 E., there is a deposit of light green talc, which outcrops in several places. Joseph Tonzi, of Ione, owner."
"Dunlavy Concrete Block Plant. Location ¼ mile south of Jackson on old state highway 49.
"In 1946 Leo Dunlavy erected a plant for the manufacture of concrete blocks and has operated almost continuously since that date. Pumice, shipped by railroad from Bend, Oregon, sand from Lancha Plana, and Portland cement supplied by the Pacific Portland Cement Company are the principal constituents used...."
"Ellis Brothers Ranch is owned by J. M. and F. J. Ellis, box 326, Jackson. Outcrops of a good grade of limestone occur on this land in sec. 30, T. 6 N., R. 11 E., M. D., about 3 miles west of Jackson; also on land under the same ownership 3 miles farther south, and 0.6 of a mile east of the county road. The latter is the larger outcrop, being about 120 by 75 feet. No work has been done upon it.
"Other small outcrops of limestone occur on land held by East Bay Utilities District south of the deposit of the Ellis brothers. These outcrops were not accessible on account of locked gates."
Arrigo Fantozi purchased the Particelli Marble and Granite Works some time after his arrival from Italy in 1913. Upon his arrival he was already trained in monument making. “The Fantozi Monument (Works) business was located on Church Street across from Jackson City Cemetery.” (A photograph of Arrigo Fantozi’s quarry near Pine Grove is included.)
While most of the permanent buildings in Jackson were constructed primarily of brick, some of the early stone buildings were built of ".meta-adesitic agglomerate which was secured from the basement excavations or hillside quarries...."
See: “Jackson, Amador County, California - the Fantozi Monument Works above.”
"Clarence Scully, Ione, owns land west and southwest of Jackson on which limestone is reported. this is north of the Ellis brothers' ranch."
"Grelich Ranch. Address Edward Grelich, Drytown. In secs. 5 and 8, T. 7 N., R. 10 E., M. W., 8 miles southeast of Latrobe (on Southern Pacific Railroad) by good road.
"The principal outcrop is 450 feet long by 50 feet wide on the north end, and 85 feet wide on the south. Another is 130 feet long, and smaller ones were noted. The outcrops are low and inconspicuous, and as there is considerable valley land along the strike, which shows no other rock outcrops, much of the deposit may be covered by soil, and it may extend into land owned by others. Some small outcrops were noted on the SW ¼ sec. 5, owned by F. H. White.
"The limestone is apparently good grade, finely crystalline and gray in color. It is entirely undeveloped. It lies so that sinking would be required to work it. Following is an analysis by Abbot A. Hanks, Inc...:"
Insoluble, 1.00 percent
Fe2O3 and Al2O3, 0.56 percent
CaCO3, 97.85 percent
MgCO3, 0.41 percent
(Map No.) (blank); (Claim, mine, or group) Greilich Ranch (Greilich Ranch); (Owner name, address) Geo. E. & Eleanor Greilich, Plymouth; (Location) Sec. 5, 8, T. 7 N., R. 10 E., M.D.M.; (Remarks) Main limestone outcrop 450 feet long, 50 to 85 feet wide. Limestone is finely crystalline and gray in color. Undeveloped. (Logan 47:211....)
"Grelich Ranch. Address Edward Grelich, Drytown. In secs. 5 and 8, T. 7 N., R. 10 E., M. W., 8 miles southeast of Latrobe (on Southern Pacific Railroad) by good road. ".Some small outcrops were noted on the SW ¼ sec. 5, owned by F. H. White."
"Sandstone from the Eocene Ione Formation was quarried north of the Cosumnes River near Michigan Bar at an early date. The building stone from this deposit was used in construction in Sacramento, but production ceased before 1890."
"Amador Marble Quarry; D. E. Collins, California Bank, Oakland, president. Idle for the last few years. The marble was used for monument and building purposes."
"Dal Porto marble (Amador or Oleta marble quarry) was worked in 1888 or earlier and has produced considerable marble, but has been idle in recent years. Address Allessio Dal Porto, Plymouth. It is a patented placer claim, being the S ½ SW ¼ and SW ¼ SE ¼ sec. 6 T. 7 N., R. 11 E., M.M. It is 2 ½ miles east of Plymouth and 13 miles by good road northeast of Carbondale. A quarry face 90 feet wide was opened 20 feet above the small stream which crosses the deposit; a waste dump 200 feet long and 40 feet wide at the base indicates considerable dead work. The best marble is in a width of 50 feet in the center. The deposit is an upright lens in the Calaveras meta-sediments just east of a granitic contact. The color of the marble varies from white to dark gray, with some attractively veined material. On the north side of the Plymouth-Fiddletown road, a quarter of a mile north and 200 feet higher than the quarry floor, the marble was exposed by road work, and shows a width of 100 feet. Analysis of a sample taken across the quarry face was made by Abbot A. Hanks, Inc., with the following results:"
Insoluble, 5.59 percent
Ferric oxide and aluminc oxide, 0.56 percent
Calcium carbonate, 90.69 percent
Magnesium carbonate, 2.04 percent
Total, 98.88 percent
(Map No.) 80; (Claim, mine, or group) Dal Porto Marble; (Owner name, address) Frank P. Dal Porto, Plymouth; (Location) Sec. 2 ½, SW ¼, and SW ¼ SE ¼ 6, T. 7 N., R. 11 E., M.D.M.; (Remarks) Worked in 1880 or earlier producing marble. Property has quarry face 90 feet, waste dump 200 feet long and 40 feet wide. Best marble 50 feet wide in center with white to dark gray color. (Aubury 06:97; Tucker 14:53; Logan 27:200, Logan 47;209.)
"Calaveras Ironstone Company. Location: NW ¼ sec. 11, T. 7 N., R. 10 E., M.D.M., at the site of the old Plymouth Consolidated mine yard, and subsequently, the site of the Plymouth Rock Wool Manufacturing Company's plant in Plymouth.
"In August, 1950, John Johnson, self-employed owner of the company, began to screen, clean, and bag tiny glass beads, formerly a waste products from the manufacture of rock wool, for use in sandblasting. Three sizes of 7, 20, and 30 mesh beads are bagged and shipped to the market. Production is intermittent, depending upon the market conditions, according to Mr. Johnson."
Also see: Plymouth (east of), Amador County, California - the Amador Marble Quarry (AKA Dal Porto Marble Quarry, Oleta Marble Quarry) above.
Oleta Marble - Also see Dal Porto Marble located at Plymouth (2 miles east of) below.
"Oleta Quarry, M. Zwischenbach, owner. Two and a half miles east of Plymouth, on the south side of the Oleta-Plymouth stage road, is a marble quarry, now idle, which some years ago was worked as the demand required. The marble occurs in a heavy ledge, about 100 feet thick, lying in the midst of blue schists. There is a small parallel bed of marble, about 10 feet thick, 100 feet west of the quarry, and several heavier beds east of the quarry, probably 200 feet or more of marble in all. The quarry has been opened more than two thirds of the way down the steep slope on the north side of the canon about 200 feet below the Oleta road. The quarry face is a little over 100 feet in height and about 100 feet wide. The stone is a light gray and blue clouded marble. It has a medium-fine grain, and is comparatively pure and free from foreign material. Blocks 6, 8, and 10 feet long, and in one place nearly 30 feet long, and from 4 to 10 feet thick, are obtainable. If the smaller blocks could be worked into tiling, mosaic, marble dust, etc., the waste would not be excessive."
Ill. No. 38. Oleta Marble Quarry, Plymouth, Amador County (circa 1906).
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