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Home > California > CA - Quarry Links & Photographs > Sonoma County > List of Stone Quarries
(* Please note this list does not include sand or gravel quarries.)
(Cady Quarry - See: Agua Caliente (east of), Sonoma County, California – Lounibos Quarry below.)
"Agua Caliente, Sonoma County, California (Granite Quarry) (Excerpt from Report XIV of the State Mineralogist – Mines and Mineral Resources of Portions of California, Chapters of State Mineralogist’s Report – Biennial Period 1913-1914, Part II. “The Counties of Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Marin, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo,” by Walter W. Bradley, Field Assistant (field work in October and November, 1913), California State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1916, pp. 173-370.)
“Through an error, production of granite from Sonoma County was reported both to this Bureau and to the United States Geological Survey, for several years. I found, on visiting the quarries, that the material so reported from Agua Caliente is a vitrophyre associated with trachytic tuff. That classified under ‘curbing’ from other parts of the county is the andesite from which most of the paving blocks are made.
“Bibl.: Bull. 38, p. 281.”
“Lounibos Quarry (formerly the Cady Quarry); Mr. Lounibos, El Verano, owner. A series of small quarry faces along the road between El Verano and Agua Caliente, near the latter place. It has been operated for building stone, paving blocks, and curbings. Idle.”
“Through an error, production of granite from Sonoma County was reported both to this Bureau and to the United States Geological Survey, for several years. I found, on visiting the quarries, that the material so reported from Agua Caliente is a vitrophyre associated with trachytic tuff. That classified under ‘curbing’ from other parts of the county is the andesite from which most of the paving blocks are made.
“Bibl.: Bull. 38, p. 281.”
“Lounibos Quarry (one time Cady), W. C. Booth, 2220 Ashby avenue, Berkeley, owner; John Newman, Napa, lessee. This quarry of trachytic tuff in Sec. 36, T. 6 N., R. 5 W., about a mile east of Agua Caliente, is operated intermittently. The lessee was taking out stone (October, 1913) for the new county bridge at Shellville south of Sonoma. Stone from this quarry is also employed for curbings and other uses in the cemetery at Sonoma. There is a black vitrophyre associated with this tuff. They are apparently from the same magma, but cooled at different rates. One large boulder was found showing both phases, and grading into each other. This vitrophyre is the ‘granite’ referred to in Bull. 38, p. 376.
“Bibl.: Bull. 38, p. 162.”
“Rainbow Quarry. John Sitenga, contracting stone mason, obtains both flagstones and building stones from the Rainbow quarry located in sec. 36, T. 6 N., R. 6 W., half a mile east and a little north of the Agua Caliente Post Office.
“The rock in the southwest part of the deposit is a soft, blue-gray rhyolite which splits readily along layers of flattened vugs 1 to 3 inches apart. Along some of these parting planes there is a red stain of iron. To the southwest, this rock abuts against perlite in a steeply dipping fault contact which strikes northwest. At the northwest end of the deposit the perlite is not exposed. The rock quarried is porous, ashy looking, stained yellow and red with iron oxide, and crumbles easily. Both varieties have a mica-like sparkle caused by very small quartz crystals.
“The quarry consists of three openings, each about 15 yards in diameter at one level along the hillside and within 100 yards of each other. The most southeasterly one is behind the perlite and is reached through a narrow cut about 40 feet long. Light blasting is occasionally necessary. It has been found that rock within 3 feet of the surface is weathered and must be discarded. Freshly quarried stone is damp and crumbles instead of splitting cleanly. Splitting is done with a blunt axe-like tool.”
“Cobblestone quarries in the area once supplied paving material for San Francisco; the abandoned quarries can still be found along several trails.”
“On the H. Calleaud place at Beuna Vista, 2 miles east of Sonoma, some stone was being taken out in 1913 by J. Newman, of Napa, for the new county bridge at Shellville.”
“Kohlman Gulch, on the coast just northwest of Fort Ross, was mentioned by W. L. Watts (93, p. 463)* as the site of a deposit of pulverulent limestone. This gulch, (wrongly called Coleman by Watts) was examined for a length of 1 ½ miles upstream from the shore-line but only meager evidence of limestone was found. The gulch carries a torrential stream in the rainy season and debris may have covered the outcrops he mentioned.”
(* W. L. Watts, “ Sonoma County,” California Mining Bureau Report 11, pp. 453-464, 1893.)
“Healdsburg Marble Company located claims years ago on a limestone deposit in secs. 1 and 2, T. 9 N., R. 12 W., M.D., about 20 miles west of Geyserville. It is a hard compact stone, colored red, cream, and white but no analysis is available. Though said to be of good size, no work has been done upon it.”
“There is a large deposit of limestone in Secs. 1 and 2, T. 9 N., R. 12, W., 15 miles west of north from Cazadero. It is stated to be traceable for a mile in length, and in places up to 300 feet in width. It could be used for building stone or for cement manufacture. It is a hard, fine-grained, compact limestone, red, white and cream colored. The deposit was at one time located by the Healdsburg Marble Company but abandoned on account of being too far from a railroad.”
“Sonoma County Lime Company’s Plant, in T. 11 N., R. 9 W., on L. S. Black’s ranch; A. H. Ingham, 525 Seventh street, Santa Rosa, owner. The quarry is 6 miles northeast of Geyserville, on the Little Sulphur Creek. It was first opened in 1884, and reopened in April, 1901. The rock is a hard, compact, drab-colored limestone, with pure white streaks of micro-crystalline limestone through the mass….”
“The deposit occurs in the form of a boulder 150 feet long, 70 feet wide, and outcropping 30 feet above the inclosing rock, which is chert. It is burned at the quarry in a continuous kiln, with a capacity of 50 barrels a day. Wood is used as fuel. An abundant supply of live oak occurs in the immediate vicinity of the kiln. The plant is worked extensively during the summer, but is idle during the rainy season, because, with the present condition of the roads, it is too expensive to haul the lime to Geyserville for shipment."
“Black Ranch Quarry, L. S. Black, Modesto, owner. This deposit is 6 miles north of Geyserville on Little Sulphur Creek. The Sonoma County Lime Company, A. H. Ingram, Santa Rosa, manager, burned some lime here in 1906-1907; but it is stated that they could not market the product on account of a labor boycott. No work has been done since.
“Bibl.: R. XII, p. 396; XIII, p. 633; Bull. 38, p. 93.”
“Black Ranch deposit is 6 miles north of Geyserville on Little Sulphur Creek on the old land grant called Rancho Caslamayomi. It was describe din old reports of the State Mining Bureau (Irelan 88, p. 633;* Aubury 06, pp. 93-94)** as being in the form of large ‘boulders’ of limestone, the largest 150 feet long by 70 feet wide and outcropping 30 feet above the enclosing chert. It is a hard, compact drab-colored limestone. The following analysis is said to have been made by Thomas Price (Irelan 88).*
CaCO3, 95.20 percent
SiO2, 1.27 percent
Al2O3 and Fe2O2, 0.43 percent
Oxide of manganese, 0.18 percent
Magnesia loss, 1.32 percent
Water, 1.60 percent
“A continuous kiln of 50 barrels daily capacity using oak wood for fuel was used to burn the limestone.”
(* William Irelan, Jr., Eighth Annual Report of the State Mineralogist for the Year Ending October 1, 1888, California Mining Bureau Report 8, 948 pp. illus., 1888.)
(** Lewis E. Aubury, The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, California Mining Bureau Bulletin 38, 412 pp., illus. 1906.)
“Boca Quarry; Boca Brothers, Glen Ellen, owners. Located one half mile east of Glen Ellen. No paving blocks have been produced for about four years.”
“Boca Quarry. F. Boca et al., Glen Ellen, owners. This quarry, 1 ½ miles east of Glen Ellen, has been idle the past two years.
“Bibl.: R. XII, p. 396; XIII, p. 634; Bull. 38, p. 343.”
“Healdsburg Marble Company’s Quarry, in Sec. 31, T. 9 N. R. 11 W.; George Madeira et al., Healdsburg, owners (formerly the Gray-Madeira onyx claim). Located 16 miles west of Healdsburg, at the head of Gillam Creek, a tributary of Austin Creek. The aragonite found here is green, and has filled a number of parallel fissures in a belt of serpentine, which courses northwest and dips 70 degrees. Some specimens show cavities lined with milky chalcedony; others have seams of chalcedony between the crystals of aragonite, so as to give it a banded structure. The inclosing silicified serpentine is most beautifully veined with yellow and brown opal, chalcedony, and jasper. It is very hard and can be had in large blocks, making it a valuable material for table tops and mantels. This claim has never been developed, owing to the distance from a railroad.”
“Healdsburg Marble Company (also known as the Madeira Deposit), George Madeira, Healdsburg, manager. It is in the southwest corner of Sec. 31, T. 9 N., R. 10 W., 5 ½ miles north from Guerneville; elevation 1700 feet (bar.). There is a series of magnesite veins in serpentine from a few inches to 10 feet wide, and occurring over a width of about 1400 feet. They strike west of north and dip west at about 70°. The larger veins are of very good quality. There is a considerable tonnage in sight at the surface which can be cheaply quarried; but except for a couple of short tunnels there has been no development work underground.
“At the west end, the veins are narrow and are banded with a green dolomitic material, chalcedony and quartz, forming a variety of ‘verde antique marble.’ It was for this that the deposit was originally located (1894), with the intention of putting it on the market as an ornamental building stone. This is the deposit described by Hess (see Bibl.) as ‘un-named.’
“The property has no transportation outlet as yet, but it is only a half mile from the claim of the Western Carbonic Acid Gas Company, which has a wagon road to Guerneville. The claims are patented.
“Bibl.: R. XIII, p. 640; Bull. 37, p. 112; Bull. 38, pp. 114, 333, 369; U.S.G.S. Bull. 355, pp. 25, 26; Bull. 540, p. 497.”
(Madeira Deposit - See: Guerneville (north of), Sonoma County, California – “Healdsburg Marble Company (also known as the Madeira Deposit above.)
“Metone Quarry; Mr. Metone, owner. It is 3 ¼ miles west of Healdsburg. The rock is dark blue trachyte. P. Maroni has worked the quarry intermittently for building stone and paving blocks. He furnished considerable stone to the army department at the Presidio and Fort Baker.”
“On the Purviance Ranch, (formerly Ward Ranch) 3 ½ miles west of Healdsburg, some small outcrops of limestone were found over 20 years ago (Laizure, 26a, p. 336).* No work has been done since 1926. The following analysis was said to have been made in 1906 by the late Thomas Price, San Francisco chemist:
CaCO3, 93.45 percent
MgCO3, 1.22 percent
Ferrous carbonate, 1.13 percent
Alumina, 1.96 percent
Manganese oxide, 0.18 percent
SiO2, 1.59 percent
Organic matter, 0.28 percent
Loss and undetermined, 0.23 percent
(* C. McK Laizure, “Sonoma County,” California Mining Bureau Report 22, pp. 327-365, illus., 1926.)
“Lawndale Quarry (formerly Stacy), Lawndale Forward Movement Syndicate, owner; T. S. Fritz, president; M. B. Sheehan, secretary; home office, 346 Monadnock Building, San Francisco; post office, Kenwood. There are several quarry openings on this ranch, 3 miles northwest from Kenwood, some of which have been worked by leasers, and some by the company. Except for one lease with two men employed, they were idle the last half of 1913. Both andesite and basalt occur, the latter showing a little olivine. The present company took over the property in 1909, principally for the purpose of growing eucalyptus trees for wood and lumber. It is stated that up to 1913 they had planted 110,000 trees. The shipping point is Lawndale switch on the Southern Pacific Railroad.
“Bibl.: R. XI, p. 463; XII, p. 397; XIII, p. 635; Bull. 38, p. 345.”
“Petroncelli Quarry; Frank Petroncelli, owner. It is half a mile southwest of Kenwood, and is worked intermittently. Five men are employed. They produce about 30,000 paving blocks a year, and also some building stone and gutter rocks.”
“Pedroncelli Quarry, F. Pedroncelli, owner. It is near Kenwood, but has not been worked for a number of years.
“Bibl.: Bull. 38, p. 344.”
“Stacey Quarry; S. Stacey, Kenwood, owner. This quarry is one half mile south of Lawndale, a station on the Southern Pacific railroad, northwest of Kenwood. Twelve men are at work in quarry, and they produce about 200,000 blocks a year.”
“Coutts Bros. Quarry (one time called Maroni), Sonoma Farms Company (Grace Bros.), Santa Rosa, owners; J. L. Coutts & Company, Kenwood, lessees. This paving block quarry is 1 ¼ miles northeast from Kenwood station; elevation 800 feet (bar.). It is near the top of and partly encircles a steep hill, being visible from the valley for several miles around. (See photo No. 139.) The present portion of the quarry was opened by Coutts Brothers in January, 1910, though Maroni had operated here some years previously. The rock, which is a hornblende andesite grading in places to basalt, is mostly massive breaking into blocks 10 feet to 15 feet through. The quarry extends for about quarter of a mile around the hill with faces up to 50 feet high. Up to July, 1913, they had 40 to 50 men at work, since when but 6 have been kept on.
“Bibl.: R. XII, p. 397; XIII, p. 635.”
| Photo No. 139. Coutts Bros.’ paving block quarry, Kenwood, Sonoma County, California. |  |
(Maroni Quarry - See: Kenwood Station, Sonoma County, California – Coutts Bros. Quarry (AKA Maroni ) (Paving Block Quarry) above.)
“Gordenker Quarry. A banded rhyolite deposit on land belonging to the Annadel Farm on Bennett Mountain 1 ½ miles west of Lawndale was leased by Rodney Gordenker early in 1948. Both blocks and flagstones are produced. The rhyolite is harder than at the Valley of the Moon quarry but splits less readily. Layers are 1/10 to 1/8 of an inch thick, and are alternately pale pink and green or white. The beds are nearly horizontal and grade successively westward into scoria and perlite.
“A bench 15 feet wide and 60 feet long has been made. The rock is split by hand and broken transversely with a hydraulic cutter.”
“City Improvement Company’s Quarry (formerly the Violetti Quarry). It is one half mile southwest of Melitta, and the blocks are shipped from there. This quarry is worked in conjunction with the McDonald Quarry, and is in charge of B. W. Lester, of Santa Rosa.”
"John Hugert Quarry, 3 miles east of Melitta, on Joe Bowers’ property. From two to eight men are employed, and the blocks are shipped from Melitta.”
“John Hugert, of Agua Caliente, has been working a small paving block quarry on the J. Bower ranch 3 miles east of Melitta. Idle in 1913.
"Bibl.: Bull. 38, p. 344.”
“Violetti Quarry (City Improvement Company). Andrew Nelson, Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa, owner. This paving block quarry near Melitta has been idle several years.
“Bibl.: R. XII, p. 397; XIII, p. 635; Bull. 38, p. 343.”
“Flinn & Treacy Basalt Block Quarry; Flinn & Treacy, 302 Montgomery street, San Francisco, owners. At Olsen Siding, near Melitta, on the Southern Pacific Railroad. The quarry has been operated constantly for three years, producing about 40,000 blocks per month.”
(Harney Quarry - See: Melitta (South of), Sonoma County, California – Melitta Stone Quarryes (Wymore; also Harney) below.)
“Melitta Stone Quarries (Wymore; also Harney), C. C. Wymore, R. F. D. No. 5, Santa Rosa, owner; W. W. and G. H. Wymore, Anglo Building, San Francisco, lessees. This group of quarries is 1 mile north from Melitta, 6 miles east of Santa Rosa, at an elevation of 900 feet (bar.). These large cuts (see photo No. 142) are visible from Santa Rosa. Operations were first begun here about 1888 by the Laurent Brothers, who continued for 15 years, and the present lessees since then. During the 9 years to 1913 production was at an average rate of 100,000 blocks per month. Idle since April, 1913.
| Photo No. 142. Paving blocks. Melitta (Wymore) stone quarry, Melitta, Sonoma County, California. |  |
“There is a gravity tramway of 3200 feet which delivers the paving blocks in side-tipping cars to bunkers at the railroad. The rock, which is a medium-grained, gray olivine basalt, occurs principally in the form of boulders, the result of concentric decomposition. On a field examination only it might be mistaken for a trachyte or an andesite, because of its light color and the fact that the olivines are largely altered; but the microscope shows it to be a basalt.
“Bibl.: R. X, p. 676; XI, p. 463; XII, p. 397; XIII, p. 634; Bull. 38, p. 345.”
(Violetti Quarry - See: Melitta (southwest of), Sonoma County, California – City Improvement Company’s Quarry above.)
“Wymore Quarry, one mile south of Melitta, on Mr. Wymore’s property, but it is operated by Louis Laurent, of Melitta. Sixteen men are employed in the quarry. They produce 500,000 blocks a year.”
Also see: Melitta (South of), Sonoma County, California – Melitta Stone Quarries (Wymore; also Harney) above.)
(Barnes Quarry - See: Penn Grove (northeast of), Sonoma County, California – Craig Quarry (formerly Barnes below.)
(Beason Quarry - See: Penn Grove (northeast of), Sonoma County, California – Lichau Quarry (Beason) below.)
"Craig Quarry; D. N. Craig, owner. Two miles north of Penngrove, on east side of road to Santa Rosa. The quarry is operated on royalty. About 50,000 paving blocks are produced a year, as well as stone for curbings, gutter rocks, and bridges.”
“Craig Quarry (formerly Barnes), D. N. Craig, Penn Grove, owner. The quarry is on a low rounded ridge 1 ½ miles northeast from Penn Grove; elevation 150 feet. The stone is a dark gray, medium grained basalt, with hornblende phenocrysts. There is considerable vesicular material. Principally curbing is made, though formerly a large number of paving blocks were turned out. The curbing blocks are 10 inches deep by 5 inches wide and 11 inches long (requiring 92 per running foot). The men are paid 9 cents per running foot for the making, and the blocks sell for 10 ½ cents per foot. The output is all sold in Petaluma. Two men were employed during 1913.
“In addition to curbing, Craig also sells gravel to the county for road work, from Petaluma Creek on another part of the same ranch.
“Bibl.: R. X, p. 678; XII, p. 396; XIII, p. 634; Bull. 38, p. 343.”
"Davis Quarry; Warren Davis, owner. About 3 miles northeast of Penngrove. Idle for past five years.”
(Kellas Quarry - See: Penn Grove (near), Sonoma County, California – McNeil Ranch Quarry (Kellas; also Wilkinson below.)
"Lichau Quarry (formerly the Beason Quarry); A. C. Lichau, owner. It is 4 miles northeast of Penngrove, and has been idle for about seven years.”
“Lichau Quarry (Beason), A. C. Lichau, owner; 4 miles northeast of Penn Grove. Idle for years.
"Bibl.: Bull. 38, p. 344.”
“McNeil Ranch Quarry (Kellas; also Wilkinson), F. Riebli et al. lessees. It is near Penn Grove. Idle in 1913.
"Bibl.: R. XII, p. 397; XIII, p. 635; Bull. 38, p. 345.”
Roberts Quarry; Frank Roberts, owner. It is about 3 miles north of Penngrove. Idle for the past seven years.”
“Roberts Quarry, Mary E. Roberts, Penn Grove, owner. This is 2 miles east of Penn Grove, but has been idle since 1910. When last operated, two men worked about three years on curbing and paving blocks.
"Bibl.: R. XII, p. 397; XIII, p. 635; Bull. 38, p. 354.”
“Wilkinson Quarry, on the McNiel ranch, 4 miles north of Penngrove. It has been idle for a number of years.”
Also see: Penn Grove (near), Sonoma County, California – McNeil Ranch Quarry (Kellas; also Wilkinson.)
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