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Home > California > CA - Quarry Links & Photographs > Riverside County > List of Quarries
(* Please note this list does not include sand or gravel
quarries.)
"Eden Hot Springs deposit is in sec. 23, T. 3 S., R. 2 W., S. B., just east of the springs. It is white, coarsely crystalline and high-grade limestone. It is assessed to Thos. D. and Eliza McTavish, Route 1, Box 82, Camarillo, California, and is about 4 miles by road southwest of Beaumont. No recent activity has been noted."
"Casa Blanca Quarries, in Sec. 10, T. 3 S., R. 5 W., and Sec. 15, T. 3 S., R. 5 W., S. B. M. Two large granite quarries owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, and operated by the California Construction Company. The quarries are about half a mile apart north and south, and about a mile southeast of the Casa Blanca railway station, and located at the base of the granite buttes of the vicinity. The rock is a medium dark gray granite of rather uniform texture and color, except the occurrence of the dark blotches scattered through the mass. The blotches, which vary from a fraction of an inch to several inches in diameter, consist in part of glass, which for some reason did not crystallize equally with the surrounding portions, and which injure the stone for monument purposes, but do not affect the durability or the strength of the rock, as the dark patches are even more durable than the surrounding rock. They are more abundant in the north quarry than the south one. The north quarry has an opening about 100 feet square, with a face of from 50 to 60 feet. The joints cut the mass into layers, which range from 4 to 15 feet thick. The stone is loosened from the bed by blasting.
"The south quarry is 100 feet long by 30 feet deep, with a face of from 30 to 40 feet. The stone has fewer dark spots than that of the north quarry and a more even fracture. The regularity and evenness of the surface along the lines of the fracture are remarkable. Ill. No. 15 shows a surface about 30 feet square, from which a huge block has been broken off by only a few drill holes, and the face is as regular as if it had been tool-dressed. There are very few seams, and almost no waste in quarrying. Excellent bridge and building stone could be quarried advantageously at this place. The rock shows concentric weathering on a large scale. The entire end of the hill on which the quarry is located is rounded off like the surface of a great boulder.
"The rock is a biotite-hornblende granite, bordering on a granodiorite, as it contains much plagioclase and runs low in quartz
"A spur from the Santa Fe Railroad extends into both of the Casa Blanca quarries, and the stone is shipped by rail as rubble to the great San Pedro breakwater. Excellent granite for building purposes could be obtained at these quarries."
| Ill. No. 14. Casa Blanca Granite Quarry, Riverside County. |  |
| Ill. No. 15. Casa Blanca Quarry No. 2 (Granite), Riverside County. |  |
"Fairchild-Gilmore-Wilton Company, 516-517 Pacific Electric Building, Los Angeles. The quarry is located in Secs. 8 and 17, T. #. S., R. 6 W., S. B. M. This is a contracting company, and uses large quantities of building granite, as well as paving blocks, and broken stone for ballast and concrete.
"Besides the granite quarries at Hammer swtich, this company operates a large quarry at Porphyry station. The stone is used for concrete, macadam, and railway ballast."
"Blythe cement claims nos. 1 to 5 are 160-acre association placer claims located in 1928-29, at distances of 3 to 3 ½ miles west of Chandler Well and 4 to 4 ½ miles north of the Arlington manganese mine, in secs. 26 and 35, T. 3 S., R. 19 E., S. B. The 8 locators were W. V. and G. M. Neuman, B. F. and J. E. Rockhold, Martha B. and E. E. Schellenger, Mrs. Lulla Stearns and D. R. Hall, Blythe. The nearest railroad points are on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, 10 miles northeast or 14 miles southeast at Inca. No details are available, although the limestone is said to be of good grade. The claims were undeveloped so far as known."
"Chino Quarry, in Secs. 2 and 3, T. 2 S., R. 5 W., S. B. M.; American Beet-Sugar Company, Chino, owner. A white marble found in boulders, with a great amount of waste, partly clay, partly debris. Has not been operated for the past ten or twelve years."
"East of Corona, on the north side of the Southern Pacific Railroad, and a half mile from the railway, are several productive granite quarries. There are a number of more or less regularly rounded hills or buttes that occur at this place, over the tops and slopes of which the granite outcrops in rounded ledges in the midst of a multitude of large rounded boulders. Many of the boulders, as well as the projecting ledges, have a smooth, hard, firm surface. Some of them are even polished by the winds carrying dust, which has worn away the disintegrated surface as fast as it has been formed. A large part of the granite has been quarried here from the boulders, as these are more easily worked into dimensions than the massive bedrock. The boulders are especially sought in making the Belgian paving blocks, which are made here in large numbers.
"Besides the use for paving stone, the Corona granite is used to some extent for building stone, and in considerable quantities for monuments in Los Angeles, Riverside, and other places in southern California.
"The stone from all the quarries is hauled by wagon to the railroad at Hammer switch, about a mile east of Porphyry station.
"The monument dealers in the different towns nearly all speak highly of the Corona granite for monuments, thus giving it a growing reputation in that field. Its nearness to Los Angeles and Riverside also favors the use of this stone for Belgian blocks.
"A microscopic examination of the granite from Mayer's quarry at Corona shows it to consist of orthoclase feldspar, with a little microcline and albite, quartz, biotite, and muscovite-the constituents of typical granite."
| Ill. No. 11. Granite Quarry, Corona, Riverside County. |  |
"Corona. East of Corona, one mile north of the Santa Fe Railway, in Sec. 16, T. 3 S., R. 6 W., are several productive granite quarries. A number of rounded hills or buttes occur at this place, over the tops and slopes of which the granite outcrops in rounded ledges in the midst of a multitude of large rounded boulders. Many of the boulders, as well as the projecting ledges, have a smooth, hard, firm surface. Some of them have been polished by wind carrying dust, which has worn away the disintegrated surface as fast as it has been formed. A large part of the granite has been quarried here from the boulders, as these are more easily worked into dimension stone than the massive bedrock. The boulders are especially available for making Belgian paving blocks, which are produced here in large numbers."
"Lane Bros. Monument dealers, 833 ½ S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, Cal. This firm formerly worked a granite quarry 3 miles east of Corona, loading at Alvord Station on the Santa Fe Railway. This quarry is now idle, and the stone used is purchased from various quarries. This firm operates a stone cutting yard on Santa Fe avenue, Los Angeles.
"M. J. Mayer, Corona. The quarry is in the low foothills, close to the track of the Santa Fe Railroad, near Porphyry station, a couple of miles east of Corona. Mr. Mayer is working the outcropping granite boulders into paving stones in several places." (For more information on the granite in the M. J. Mayer quarry, see the section "Corona Granite Quarries" above.)
"Sierra Grande Quarries, M. J. Mayer, Corona, Sec. 16, T. 3 S., R. 6 W., S. B. M., manufacture large numbers of Belgian blocks for Los Angeles streets, and also ship considerable granite to the monument dealers in different towns."
"Sierra Grande Quarries. M. J. Mayer, lessee. Sec. 16, T. 3 S., R. 6 W., S. B. M. The quarry is in the low foothills, close to the track of the Santa Fe Railway, near Porphyry Station, about 2 miles east of Corona. Here are made large numbers of Belgian blocks for Los Angeles streets; also, considerable granite is shipped to monument dealers in different towns. Mr. Mayer in some places is working the outcropping granite boulders into paving blocks. Under the microscope the granite from Mayer's quarry at Corona is seen to consist of orthoclase feldspar, with a little microcline and albite, quartz, biotite, and muscovite.
"The stone from all the quarries is hauled by wagon to the railroad at Hammer switch, about a mile east of Porphyry station."
"Famous Mineral Localities: Crestmore, Riverside County, California," by Arthur S. Eakle, University of California, Volume 12, pages 319-321, 1927, American Mineralogist, Mineral Society of America.
In 1927, at the time of the article, the Riverside Portland Cement plant utilized "both the limestone and the underlying granodiorite for its manufacture of cement."
"The mass of limestone appears as two contiguous hills, separated by a narrow swale, and joined by a lower ridge, and the hills rise a few hundred feet above the surrounding plain...."
Stones mentioned in the article includes: "Chino Hill" of pure white crystalline limestone which ranges from fine to coarse-grained crystalline marble; specimens of columnar wollastonite; and blue calcite known as "Sky Blue Hill."
A list of minerals to be found in the quarry at the time of the 1927 article is listed at the end of the article.
"Section Across Commercial Quarry, Crestmore, California," A. O. Woodford, R. A. Crippen, And K. B. Garner, Pomona College, Claremont, California; Bloomington, California; San Bernardino, California, American Mineralogist, Volume 26, pages 352-381, 1941. "The best known mineral locality in California, if not in the whole western United States, is at Crestmore near Riverside, 50 miles east of Los Angeles." (The following quarries are listed in the contents of the article: Commercial Quarry, Wet Weather Quarry, and the Lone Star Quarry. Descriptions, photographs, and diagrams of the quarries are included in the article.)
Graphite From Crestmore Quarry (photographs), presented by Dr. John A. Jaszczak, Associate Professor, the adjunct curator of the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum at Michigan Tech.
"Riverside Cement Company, with offices at 200 Bush Street, San Francisco, and 621 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, owns a portland cement plant and 850 acres of land containing limestone deposits at Crestmore 5 miles northwest of Riverside, as well as the plant and land formerly owned by Golden Gate Portland Cement Company, already mentioned under San Bernardino County. The Riverside plant has a capacity of 10,000 barrels daily and uses the dry process. It has been in operation since 1909. The cement plant and the limestone quarrying and later mining operations have been described by Merrill (19),* and Tucker (29a, 45).** The underground mining of limestone by block caving, started in 1927, attracted attention of mining engineers and has been described in detail by Robotham (34)*** and in Technical Publication 1766, American Institute of Mining & Metallurgical Engineers, by R. H. Wightman, the present mine superintendent. The geology and mineralogy of the main limestone deposit and the associated intrusive rocks have been of great interest because of the variety of minerals found, and this has led to publication of several articles, the latest of which is by A. O. Woodford (43).****
(* Frederick J. H. Merrill, "Riverside County," California Mining Bureau Report 15, pp. 522-589, illus., 1919.)
(** W. Burling Tucker and R. J. Sampson, Los Angeles Field Division, "Riverside County," California Division of Mines Report 25, pp. 468-526, illus., 1929.)
(*** C. A. Robotham, "Mining Limestone by a Caving Method at Crestmore Mine of the Riverside Cement Company, Crestmore, California," U. S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 6795, 20 pp., 10 figs., 1934.)
(**** A. O. Woodford, "Crestmore Minerals," California Division of Mines Report 39, pp. 333-365, 7 figs, 1943.)
"Before the erection of the cement plant, the main deposit was worked in a small way to make lime and marble by Sky Blue Marble & Onyx Company. Some of the marble was used in Riverside, Los Angeles and San Francisco prior to 1906, and in that year two lime kilns were in operation. An analysis of the Riverside blue marble from this deposit was quoted in Bulletin 38 of the State Mining Bureau (Aubury 06)* as follows:
(* Lewis E. Aubury, The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, California Mining Bureau Bulletin 38, 412 pp., illus. 1906.)
Lime (CaO), 55.85 percent
Equivalent to CaCO3, 99.73 percent
MgO, 0.30 percent
Iron, trace"This remarkably pure limestone capped an isolated butte of granodiorite of fairly coarse granitic structure, which was composed of orthoclase, plagioclase, hornblende, biotite and quartz. Instead of clay, this granodiorite has been used with the limestone to make cement, and this practice was regarded as unusual when it was started. A number of other surface quarries have been worked, including those on Chino Hill, adjoining Sky Blue Hill workings on the southwest. These are all close to the cement plant, and the mine shaft is only a few hundred feet south of the latter. Another working 2 miles northwest of the plant is called Little Hill quarry, which is a large open pit, 1,000 feet in diameter at top and 125 deep. The deposits are essentially roof pendants, as are others described in this county, but these are distinctive because of their size. The igneous rocks forming the walls have protected them. They are roughly lens-shaped, striking north to northwest and dipping east or northeast as much as 50 to 55.
"The lower or western bed of Chino Hill limestone is white and coarsely crystalline and not as pure as part of the Sky Blue, as it contains some bands of predazzite, which carries brucite. This bed has a depth on the dip of 1200 to 1500 feet, extends 2000 feet on the strike and is said to be about 300 feet thick. The vertical five-compartment shaft sunk to work it when the open quarries had reached ground level is 350 feet deep.
"Part of the limestone on Sky Blue Hill resembles the Chino limestone in color and composition, but the blue beds which give it the name were in places 50 feet thick, occurring close to the granodiorite. This limestone is remarkably high grade, nearly pure calcite. The three quarries on Sky Blue Hill, at different levels, have a combined length north to south of about 1500 and a combined width east to west of about 1200 feet. The total area of surface operations is roughly 2000 by 3000 feet."
(Operator) Riverside Cement Co.; (Address) 621 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 17; (Location) Crestmore.
(Operator) Riverside Cement Co. (industrial limestone); (Address) 621 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 17; (Location) Crestmore.
"Elsinore. Near this town there are two granite quarries which have produced paving blocks in moderate quantities. One is operated by P. H. Coogan in Sec. 2, T. 5 S., R. 4 W. The product is chiefly derived from surface boulders; the rock is a gray diorite. The other quarry is controlled by Connolly Bros. and is now idle."
"Elsinore. Near this town there are two granite quarries which have produced paving blocks in moderate quantities. One is operated by P. H. Coogan in Sec. 2, T. 5 S., R. 4 W. The product is chiefly derived from surface boulders; the rock is a gray diorite. The other quarry is controlled by Connolly Bros. and is now idle."
"Moore limestone deposit is in Bautiste Canyon about 12 miles southeast of Hemet. The limestone is reported by Sampson (32, p. 7)* to outcrop in the canyon for 2 miles and is about 30 feet wide, with granite walls. It is finely crystalline and white to blue. A quarry 50 feet long by 20 feet high was opened about 20 years ago and some production was made, but there has been no work recently. Edward J. and Ruth S. Moore were owners in 1945."
(* Reid J. Sampson, "Economic Mineral Deposits of the San Jacinto Quadrangle," California Division of Mining Report 28, pp. 3-11, illus., 1932.)
"San Jacinto Rock Products Company produced limestone in 1927-28 from a deposit on the southwest side of Babtiste Canyon, 12 miles southeast of Hemet. The limestone is 30 feet wide, strikes northwest and dips southwest, with granite walls. A quarry 30 feet high by 100 feet long was opened. The limestone was hauled to a grinding plant at San Jacinto and ground for use in poultry food or grits."
"Bly Bros. & McGilliard Stone Co., 678 S. Utah street, Los Angeles. This firm operates two quarries: One in the NW. ¼ of Sec. 1, T. 2 S., R. 6 W.; the other in the SE. ¼ of the same section. These are in the Jurupa Mountains, which are formed by a granite intrusion.
"These quarries produce a large quantity of fine granite used for building purposes in Los Angeles and vicinity. This firm has in Los Angeles one of the best equipped stone yards for handling and dressing stone that there is in southern California. There are saw gangs for sawing stone, as they handle considerable sandstone and marble in their contracts. They have stone planers, steam drills, pneumatic drills, and surface tools. There is always a large force of stonecutters, as much of the cutting and finishing is necessarily done by hand. The annual production is 120 carloads (40 tons) dimension stone (5% of this is used for monuments), and 1200 carloads of riprap. Twenty men are employed at the quarry, and 20 men at the yard."
"Carbonate Blanket group of four association placer claims were located from 2 to 3 ½ miles south of U. S. Gypsum Company's Gyp well, and within 3 or 4 miles northwest of Midland on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. For locators names, see Blythe cement claims. No production nor activity has been reported."*
(* The locators listed for the Blythe Cement Claims are: W. V. and G. M. Neuman, B. F. and J. E. Rockhold, Martha B. and E. E. Schellenger, Mrs. Lulla Stearns and D. R. Hall, Blythe.)
Perris, Riverside County, California - Homer Bartlett’s Black Granite Quarry (Granite) (from Stone magazine, February 1920, Vol. XLI, No. 2, pp. 72)
“Perris is fortunate in having in the near-by hills valuable deposits of granite, both black and gray, according to a newspaper at Riverside, Cal.
“On land owned by Homer Bartlett black granite is being quarried, and is used for monumental work. Stoneworking firms in Los Angeles purchase the granite, and it is said that the Perris variety is one of the finest grades of stone in the west.”
Perris, Riverside County, California - J. Labode’s Granite Quarry (Granite) (from Stone magazine, February 1920, Vol. XLI, No. 2, pp. 72)
“Perris is fortunate in having in the near-by hills valuable deposits of granite, both black and gray, according to a newspaper at Riverside, Cal....”
“J. Labode has a granite quarry west of the town, and also a town office. Mr. Labodie is a stonecutter of long experience.”
“Perris. Between this place and Elsinore are some quarries in diorite controlled by La Borde Bros. of Perris.”
Perris, Riverside County, California - N. Sims’ Granite Quarry (Granite) (from Stone magazine, February 1920, Vol. XLI, No. 2, pp. 72)
“Perris is fortunate in having in the near-by hills valuable deposits of granite, both black and gray, according to a newspaper at Riverside, Cal ....”
“On lands northwest of the city, owned by N. Simms, gray granite is being quarried. There is a great deal of this in the hilly country near Perris, and it is used for fine building purposes and many kinds of ornamental stone work....”
"Corona Rock Company, 516-17 Pacific Electric Building, Los Angeles.This is a contracting company, using large quantities of building granite, as well as paving blocks, and broken stone for ballast and concrete.
"Besides the granite quarries north of Hammer switch, this company operates a large quarry at Porphyry Station. The stone is used for concrete, macadam, and railway ballast."
"Magstone Products. Howard Small, Route 5, Box 50, Riverside, has been a producer of limestone from 1938-45, but did not report production for 1946. The quarry is on Arlington Avenue, in the city of Riverside. It is on 17 ½ acres owned by Loren Creed, Riverside. In 1945, Tucker and Sampson (45)* described the work as a side-hill cut 100 feet long by 20 feet high on a deposit of gray and white limestone, the size of which could not be judged because of overburden. The stone was hauled to a plant at 331 Main Street, Riverside, where it was crushed and screened for sale as poultry grit and as limestone flour for use in poultry feeds. The plant had a capacity of 8 tons a day and employed one to three men."
(* W. Burling Tucker and R. J. Sampson, Los Angles Field Division, "Mineral Resources of Riverside County," California Division of Mines Report 41, pp. 121-182, pls. 23-35, 1945.)
"Rubidoux Hill Quarry, very near and west of Riverside; owned by the Riverside Water Company. A small opening on the northwest side of the city, where the stone is a gray granite, partially disintegrated to a depth of several feet. It has apparently been used for building stone, probably for foundations."
Barber Asphalt Co. Macadam Quarry, owned by Carl F. Adams, 321 Henne Building, Los Angeles.
Fairchild-Gilmore-Wilton Co. Paving Block Quarry, located in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, E. W. Gilmore, superintendent.
"Fairmount Hill Quarry and City Crusher Plant; Superintendent of Streets of the City of Riverside, in charge. In Sec. 14, T. 2 S., R. 5 W., S. B. M. The rock mass is quite varied in character, and consists of a dark-gray biotite granite, associated with gneiss, mica schist, and limestone. The rocks are all too deeply weathered to be valuable for building stone, and are used as crushed stone for macadam and concrete."
"Peerless Quarry, J. B. Lane, 910 South Main street, Los Angeles. The product of this quarry is shipped to the stone yard of Lane Bros. in Los Angeles, where it is made into monuments."
"Rock (Granite) Mine, Stephen Connolly, Elsinore."
"Rubidoux Hill Quarry, very near and west of Riverside; owned by the Riverside Water Company. A small opening on the northwest side of the city, where the stone is a gray granite, partially disintegrated to a depth of several feet. It has apparently been used for building stone, probably for foundations."
Mine name: 3M Corona; Operator: 3M; Address & County: P. O. Box 1328, Corona, CA 91719 County; Phone: (909) 737-3441; Latitude: 33.84, Longitude: -117.50, and Mine location number: Map No. 448; Mineral commodity: Stone.
Mine name: Eagle Valley Quarry; Operator: Blue Diamond Materials; 1949 River Rock Rd., Corona, CA 91720; Address & County: Riverside, 909 County; Phone: (909) 371-7625; Latitude: 33.84, Longitude: -117.50, and Mine location number: Map No. 466; Mineral commodity: Stone.
Mine name: Harlow Quarry; Operator: Paul Hubbs Construction; Address & County: 9001 Cajalco Rd., Corona, CA 91719, Riverside County; Phone: (909) 360-3990; Latitude: 33.82, Longitude: -117.50, and Mine location number: Map No. 471; Mineral commodity: Stone.
"Harris limestone deposit is shown on a map accompanying Tucker's report (45)* as lying in sec. 9, T. 7 S., R. 5 E., S.B., but has not been described. It is on the Pines to Palms highway at an elevation of 4,000 to 4,500 feet."
(* W. Burling Tucker and R. J. Sampson, Los Angles Field Division, "Mineral Resources of Riverside County," California Division of Mines Report 41, pp. 121-182, pls. 23-35, 1945.)
Mine name: Kennedy Hills; Operator: Kerry Kennedy; Address & County: 2071 Donner Bay, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403, Riverside County; Phone: (520) 680-1103; Latitude: 33.86, Longitude: -117.02, and Mine location number: Map No. 478; Mineral commodity: Rock.
"Mammoth 7 limestone claim contains 80 acres within 1 mile of Southern Pacific Railroad, Palm Springs Station. The owner is Louis Steck, 443 North 7th Street, Colton, California.
"The deposit extends from the desert level up a mountain side, rising 600 feet in elevation with little or no overburden. The owner built half a mile of road and shipped out a few carloads of limestone several years ago to Los Angeles, and made several exploratory cuts. Some aplite dikes occur.
"The following analysis was made by Smith, Emery & Company, Los Angeles:
SiO2, 0.96 percent
Fe2O3, 0.07 percent
Al2O3, 0.25 percent
CaO, 53.35 percent
MgO, 1.75 percent
CO2, 43.60 percent
Purity as CaC3, 95.1 percent
Total, 99.98 percent
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