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Home > California > CA - Quarry Links & Photographs > Tulare County > List of Stone Quarries
(* Please note this list does not include sand or gravel quarries.)
“Grover Johansen, Route 1, Box 98, Corcoran, has sent to our laboratory a sample of blue limestone reported to occur in a deposit near California Hot Springs, 20 miles by road from the Santa Fe Railroad.”
“Cortner Group. This deposit, on a stockraising homestead 2 miles southeast of Eshom Creek Camp in T. 15 S., R. 28 E., M.D., was not visited because it is about 22 miles from a railroad. Judging by a sample, it is similar to the Blossom Peak limestone. The sample is a white, coarsely crystalline stone. No work has been done upon it and possibly three-quarters of a mile of road would be needed to reach it.”
“Rocky Point Granite Quarry. Situated four miles east of Exeter, in Sec. 8, T. 19 S., R. 27 E., D. R. Griffith and R. H. Owen, of Exeter, owners. The granite is a gray, fine-grained rock of very uniform texture and color, which splits readily in any direction and takes a fine polish. It occurs in large detached masses and flattened beds, the pits of the latter is a little east of north, at an angle of 30°. The beds or layers vary from 2’ to 25’ in thickness and are so situated that a face of any required height may be obtained to quarry. The rift appears to be east and west. Any desired size of building stone can be obtained. Idle.
“Bibl.: Bull. 38, pp. 55, 56.”
“Kings County Rock Quarry. The Board of Supervisors of Kings County, J. M. McClellan, chairman, Hanford has recently (circa 1916) bought the NE. ¼ of NE. ¼ of Sec. 18, T. 18 S., R. 26 E., 2 miles northwest of Kaweah, with the intention of establishing a quarry for road metal. There are some outcrops of magnesite on the property, which are being developed by T. D. Hoyl, of Los Angeles, under lease.”
(Kaweah Quarries/Kaweah Lime Products Co. - See: Lemon Cove – formerly Limekiln – (north of), Tulare County, California – Lemon Cove Lime Quarry, Kilns, and Plant below.
“Lemon Cove Lime Quarry, in Sec. 35, T. 17 S., R. 27 E. This small quarry lies 1 ½ miles north of Lemon Cove (formerly Limekiln). The stone is a white, coarsely crystalline calcite, and occurs in an irregular pocket formation. The limestone extends for about 40 feet across the face, with perpendicular side walls of clay shale. A dike of slaty schistose material, 4 feet in width, extends diagonally across the present face of the quarry. The stone was trammed about 100 yards to the intermittent open field kilns, two of which have double draws and one is a single draw. Willow wood cut in a nearby creek furnished fuel. The plant has been idle for the past two years.”
“Lemon Cove Lime Quarry. The quarry is situated 1 ½ miles north of Lemon Cove, in Sec. 35, T. 17 S., R. 27 E. The limestone is a coarsely crystalline calcite and occurs in irregular pockets. The limestone extends for about 40 feet across the face with side walls of clay-shale which dip 65° N. A dike of schistose slate material 4 feet wide extends diagonally across the present face of the quarry. The quarry has a face 50’ high by 40’ wide.
“The broken rock is trammed 100 yards to loading bins. Product is shipped to the sugar refinery at Visalia. Equipment: one (6” x 6”) Gardner air compressor driven by 12 h.p. gas engine. Four men are employed. Carle Roque, of Lemon Cove, owner. Under lease to San Joaquin Valley Sugar Company, Visalia .
“Bibl.: Bull 38, p. 94.”
| Lemon Cove Lime Quarry. Near Lemon Cove, Tulare Co. Showing 40 feet of limestone with clay-shale walls. |  |
“Lemon Cove deposit (formerly called Kaweah Quarries and Kaweah Lime Products Company) is in NE ¼ sec. 35 and NW ¼ sec. 36, T. 17 S., R. 27 E., M.D., 2 miles by road from Lemon Cove and half a mile from the terminus of Visalia Electric Railway (Southern Pacific Company.) The property has not been a producer since 1932, and the crushing plant and buildings are gone. Ownership was not readily obtainable at the assessor’s office but a tenant on the plant site pays rent to Morgan Keaton, Route 1, Box 658, Fairoaks, California.
“This has been the most extensively worked limestone deposit in the county. The limestone is in part interbedded with shale and ancient schist, has been intruded by dikes and subjected to contact metamorphism with the development of marble and siliceous bands. It covers the southwest slope of hills rising from 650 to 1035 feet (aneroid) elevation, along a frontage of about a third of a mile. Four quarries and some minor openings were examined. The principal quarries are: Northwest, 75 feet wide by 135 feet long, and 45 feet high at face; Lower End, 40 feet wide by 350 feet long and nearly 100 feet high at face; and Upper East, 50 feet by 150 feet and 50 feet high at face.
“Because of the varying degrees of metamorphic action, the limestone ranges from pure white coarse crystals to fine-grained, hard and compact marble, varying in color from white to black.
“The following analysis by Hanks is a general sample from the various quarries.”
Insoluble, 11.80 percent
Ferric and aluminic oxides, 0.79 percent
Calcium carbonate, 83.01 percent
Magnesium carbonate, 4.39 percent
Total, 99.99 percent
(Oat Canyon Limestone - See: Lindsay, Tulare County, California – Simons Limestone Deposit below.
“Simons limestone deposit is in the SE ¼ sec. 6 T. 20 S., R. 28 E., M.D., 6 miles by road from the nearest railroad and 9 miles east of Lindsay. It is assessed to E. J. Simons, c/o General Machinery Company, Spokane, Washington. It has been formerly known as the Abramson and Bode, and Valley Lime Company, and Oat Canyon deposit .
“This deposit was last productive in 1932 and the limestone is said to have been used for sugar refining and in steel mills. Some lime was burned also in kilns near the railroad 3 miles southeast of Lindsay. It lies on a hill and has an exposed thickness or depth of 180 feet, elevation 1220 to 1400 feet. The outcrop extends for 800 feet in length northwest, with a width of 180 feet. The elevation decreases to the southeast. The country rock is schist and shale, and in the quarry floor little hummocks of shale are exposed, containing a few rotten boulders of sandstone. In one place, a layer of limestone 2 feet thick is interbedded with shale.
“The quarry is 75 feet wide by 135 feet long with a maximum height of nearly 200 feet. Rock was lowered in cars on a gravity tramway to a bin near the foot of the hill and hauled to the railroad near Tiffin.
“In 1930, a plant near the railroad was reported as being operated on limestone from this deposit, by Universal Silicate Stucco & Lime Products Company, but this company was not listed as a producer in statistics published by the Division of Mines. There is at present a good-sized building near the railroad which is said to belong to the owner of the quarry and to contain some machinery, but there is no equipment at the quarry.
“This limestone is dense, fine-grained stone varying in color from dark gray to black. A sample was taken across the deposit, including the quarry. The analysis made by Abbot A. Hanks, Inc., was as follows:”
Insoluble, 0.80 percent
Ferric and aluminic oxides, 0.76 percent
Calcium carbonate, 94.58 percent
Magnesium carbonate, 3.86 percent
Total, 100.00 percent
| Plate 35-B. Riverside Cement Company Limestone Deposit – Sec. 29, T. 20 S., R. 31 E., M.D., east of Moorehouse Creek, Tulare County. |  |
“Boydston Bros. This deposit is 9 miles southeast of Porterville, near Worth (Franke, H. A. 30, pp. 444-445).* There is no record of any production in recent years from this property. The limestone is reported to be of good grade, and it is said it was once hauled to a plant at Worth.”
(* Herbert A. Franke, “Tulare County,” California Division of Mines Report 26, pp. 423-471, illus., 1930.)
“California Granite Quarry. California Granite Company, 518 Sharon Bldg., San Francisco, owner; president, A. Pernu; secretary, A. Bocci; general manager, H. Beck. The quarry is situated 4 miles east of Porterville, in Sec. 27, T. 21 S., R. 28 E. Holdings consist of 100 acres. The biotite-granite is of medium coarse grain. Has a fairly straight cleavage and takes a good polish. The rock mass is intersected by a great number of joint planes, hence does not occur in large dimensions, but blocks large enough for ordinary building purposes are obtained. The supply of granite is practically unlimited. Two quarry faces have been opened up on the southwest slope of the hill. The general strike of the granite formation is NE.-SW. It is about one mile in width with serpentine on both sides. The rock weighs 180 lbs. to the cubic foot. The company also has a lease on 10 acres from C. A. Witt, on the Success and Porterville road where a small quarry has been opened in diorite, locally called ‘black granite.’ Plant: 25 H.P. steam hoist, two derricks (10”x10”), Ingersoll-Rand compressor, also surfacing and polishing machines and air drills. Twenty-five men are employed.
| Number 1. Quarry of the California Granite Company, situated 4 miles east of Porterville. Photo by Walter W. Bradley. |  |
| Number 2 Quarry of California Granite Company. |  |
“Gill Ranch Limestone Deposit. In Sec. 13, T. 21 S., R. 28 E., on the Gill ranch, 10 miles northeast of Porterville. On hill north of Tule River there is a massive outcrop of coarse crystalline limestone.
“In Sec. 12, T. 22 S., R. 28 E., 8 miles southeast of Porterville, there is a lens of limestone in a granitic rock, which strikes northerly and southerly, dipping at an angle of 60° E. It is a white, coarse crystalline limestone which disintegrates very easily. The lens of limestone is 300’ to 500’ wide and about 1500’ in length. Fred and William Gill, owners, Exeter.”
“Gill Ranches are owned by Will, Fred, Emmet, Roy, Ralph, and Adolph Gill. These ranches comprise several thousand acres of grazing land, containing a number of limestone deposits. Among them the following are the most accessible.
“In sec. 5, T. 20 S., R. 28 E., M.D., southeast of the Simons deposit, and 6 miles by road from the Visalia electric Railway, there is an outcrop of limestone on which no work has been done. It is dense, hard, finely crystalline and dark gray to black in color. A little farther southeast there is a smaller outcrop. Both are on small hills and the exposures are not sufficient to give a definite idea of possible tonnage, but they are similar geologically to the Simons deposit and superficially, at least, are smaller. A sample from the larger outcrop gave the following analysis:
Insoluble, 0.99 percent
Ferric and aluminic oxides, 0.64 percent
Calcium carbonate, 97.13 percent
Magnesium carbonate, 1.21 percent
Total, 99.97 percent
“Another deposit in sec. 13, T. 21 S., R. 28 E., was mentioned in a former report (Franke, H. A. 30, p. 445)* as being on land belonging to Fred Gill. A limestone deposit on land in this section now assessed to Pacific Portland Cement Company, but formerly part of the Holdridge Ranch, has been described herein under the name Holdridge, to which reference should be made, as any limestone on adjacent land would undoubtedly be similar in composition to the latter.
(* Herbert A. Franke, “Tulare County,” California Division of Mines Report 26, pp. 423-471, illus., 1930.)
“In sec. 12, T. 22 S., R. 28 E., 8 miles southeast of Porterville, there is reported to be a deposit of white, coarsely crystalline and loosely bonded limestone 300 to 500 feet wide and 1500 feet long.
“Holdridge Limestone Deposit. It is situated 10 miles northeast of Porterville, on Holdridge ranch, in Sec. 13, T. 21 S., R. 28 E. On hill north of house there is a massive outcrop of coarse crystalline limestone. The belt of limestone is about ½ mile wide, and can be traced for a distance of one mile. It has a north and south course. J. R. Holdridge, of Porterville, owner.
Holdbridge deposit is owned by Pacific Portland Cement Company, 417 Montgomery Street, San Francisco. It contains 115 acres in N ½ and SE ¼ sec. 13, T. 21 S., R. 28 E., M.D. The railroad is 1 mile south.
“This deposit is a partly eroded roof pendant showing contact metamorphism and the intrusion of dikes and plugs ranging in character from fine-grained granite and aplite to dark brown or black lava. The latter rocks are fresher than the dark granitic rock forming the basement on which the limestone rests. The deposit is on a hill and extends, with several interruptions, from an elevation of 870 feet (aneroid) where it rests on the basement rock, to the height of 1175 to 1250 feet (aneroid) where black lava has broken out forming the summit between limestone remnants. In places, as between 950 and 1080 feet elevation on the west end, the limestone has been completely eroded. The intrusives, the erosion, and the probable irregularity of the basement on which the limestone rests, would prevent any definite calculation of possible tonnage without more prospecting, but probably several hundred thousand tons should be obtainable by selective mining.
“On the east side of the deposit at 1070 feet elevation an adit 45 feet long is in limestone which becomes harder at the face. At 1000 feet elevation S. 45° E. a short distance from this, there is another adit possibly 200 feet long which was not fully examined because of poor air. For 50 feet it crosses a contact zone, then traverses white and light-gray coarse crystalline limestone for about 70 feet. There a black dike occurs.
“Some 250 feet west and 15 feet lower, is a quarry 45 to 70 feet with a face 40 feet high from which a few thousand tons has been produced. The limestone is white to black mottled, coarsely crystalline, and rather friable where exposed to the weather. The following analysis is of a sample taken selectively from different openings.
Insoluble, 0.50 percent
Ferric and aluminic oxides, 0.32 percent
Calcium carbonate, 94.60 percent
Magnesium carbonate, 4.54 percent
Total, 99.96 percent
“Robert James, Porterville, owner. A deposit of dark gray marble, claimed to be suitable for building purposes; located 8 miles southeast of Porterville, on the road to the South Tule Indian Reservation.”
“James Marble Deposit. It is in Sec. 6, T. 22 S., R. 29 E., 8 miles southeast of Porterville, on road to South Tule Indian Reservation. A dark gray marble is found on James ranch, which is suitable for building purposes.”
“James marble deposit is mentioned in Bulletin 38 (Aubury, L. E. 06, p. 108)* as ‘a deposit of dark gray marble, claimed to be suitable for building purposes; located 8 miles southeast of Porterville on the road to the Tule River Indian Reservation’. So far as known, it has been idle in recent years (circa 1947)."
(* Lewis E. Aubury, The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, California Mining Bureau Bulletin 38, 412 pp., illus. 1906.)
“Morehouse Limestone Deposit. It is 14 miles east of Springville, on ridge northeast of South Fork of Middle Fork of Tule River, in Secs. 29, 30, 31, 32, T. 20 S., R. 31 E. Holdings consist of 780 acres. A belt of blue crystalline limestone about ½ mile wide by 7 miles long strikes NW.-SE. The croppings on the north side of the river are very prominent. Along the banks of the river are a number of soda springs from which thick deposits of calcareous tufa were noticed. Some of these deposits are quite extensive and have been developed by shafts and tunnels, showing in places a mass of material deposited by spring action over 100 feet thick. The limestone belt cuts through a formation of mica schist and granite. Riverside Portland Cement Co., 726 Mills Bldg., San Francisco, owners.”
“Blossom Peak limestone is owned by Pacific Portland Cement Company, 417 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, and is in SW ¼ sec. 25, T. 17 S., R. 28 E., 1 mile southeast of Three Rivers and 9 miles by road from the terminus of Visalia electric railroad.
“…The small mountain called Blossom Peak rises steeply from the road level (900 feet elevation) to 1600 feet within this quarter-section. The decomposed rock forming the floor of the pendant outcrops in limited exposures 15 feet above the road level. It appears to have been basic igneous rock, and rather fine grained. An old lime kiln was operated here, about 300 feet northeast of the southwest corner of section 25, and limestone for it was quarried on the slope nearby. This quarry face, 85 feet wide, is diagonal to the strike and exposes an actual width of about 50 feet. A small marble quarry was also operated by Alles & Connor a short distance west some years ago. No work is going on at present.
“Blossom Peak limestone is owned by Pacific Portland Cement Company, 417 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, and is in SW ¼ sec. 25, T. 17 S., R. 28 E., 1 mile southeast of Three Rivers and 9 miles by road from the terminus of Visalia electric railroad.
“This is part of a large roof pendant of limestone and contact metamorphic rocks derived from it, occupying most of the section 25 and small parts of adjacent sections. The small mountain called Blossom Peak rises steeply from the road level (900 feet elevation) to 1600 feet within this quarter-section. The decomposed rock forming the floor of the pendant outcrops in limited exposures 15 feet above the road level. It appears to have been basic igneous rock, and rather fine grained. An old lime kiln was operated here, about 300 feet northeast of the southwest corner of section 25, and limestone for it was quarried on the slope nearby. This quarry face, 85 feet wide, is diagonal to the strike and exposes an actual width of about 50 feet. A small marble quarry was also operated by Alles & Connor a short distance west some years ago. No work is going on at present.
“In ascending the peak from the south, the outcrops seen were limestone with some siliceous layers, and the summit is limestone; but the continuity of exposures is interrupted by soil-covered benches, possibly underlain by strips of softer limestone. The deposit has a frontage of half a mile along the road on the south side, from west to east. If a depth of 50 feet of limestone is assumed over only 80 acres of the 160, there would be over 10,000,000 tons available.
“The following also own land in sec. 25, T. 17 S., R. 28 E., on which limestone occurs: Noel Britten, N ½; Daniel Alles, SE ¼ SE ¼; and Byron Allen, all of SE ¼ except SE ¼ SE ¼.
“A general grab-sample taken at intervals on the south slope in the southwest quarter of the section from the vicinity of the old lime kiln to the summit gave the following analysis, indicating what might be obtained from selective mining:
Insoluble, 6.10 percent
Ferric and aluminic oxides, 0.54 percent
Calcium carbonate, 92.43 percent
Magnesium carbonate, 0.90 percent
Total, 99.97 percent“An analysis of a sample designated as ‘Mt. Blossom siliceous lime’ in a report made years ago by Sill & Sill, Los Angeles engineers, indicated 44.7 percent CaCO3, 44.8 percent SiO2, 0.4 percent Fe2O3, and Al2,O3, balance not stated. This was taken for use in a report on what was then called the Britten limestone deposit, and included land in other parts of the section, before the sale of the southwest quarter. East of Blossom Peak, silicification of the limestone has been much more pronounced and the more resistant rock rises to an elevation of 2500 feet. In the southeast quarter near the road and the granitic contact, metamorphic action was also noticeable, with the development of some calcium silicate, but not in sufficient amount to be of commercial importance, so far as seen.
“The Blossom Peak limestone in the SW ¼ sec. 25 as exposed on the surface is coarsely crystalline, gray to light gray, loosely bonded and makes a great deal of fines, in the parts not subjected to intense contact metamorphism. As noted before, some marble was produced years ago on the west slope, and in the more siliceous bands to the east the stone is fine grained and tough.”
| Plate 35-A. Blossom Peak Limestone Deposit – Near Three Rivers, Tulare County. Peak is 700 feet above camera level. |  |
“Britton Limestone Deposit. At Three Rivers, on the Britton ranch, in Sec. 23, T. 17 S., R. 28 E., a belt of limestone about ½ mile wide strikes across the ranch in a northwesterly and southeasterly direction. The rock is a blue crystalline limestone of good quality. Mrs. Eureka Williams and Mrs. Nellie A. Britton, of Three Rivers, owners.”
“Britten Limestone Deposit. Address Noel Britten, Three Rivers. Herbert A. Franke (30, p. 445)* in his report on Tulare County, briefly mentions this deposit, and gives several analyses of samples, some of which are from holdings now under other ownership. The N ½ sec. 25, T. 17 S., R. 28 E., M.D., is assessed to Noel Britten and contains limestone which is more or less siliceous and probably similar to that described under Blossom Peak, which is in the southwest quarter of this section. The limestone on this section is low in magnesium and by sorting or selective mining, high-calcium stone could be had.
“The following analyses of limestone samples from this property were quoted by Franke (30, p. 445)* as having been taken from a report by Sill & Sill, Los Angeles .
Britten Peak: (CaCO3) 98.9 percent; (MgCO3) Nil; (Fe2Oe/Al2O3) Trace; (SiO2) 0.7 percent
Britten Peak, next to schist: (CaCO3) 93.4 percent; (MgCO3) Nil; (Fe2Oe/Al2O3) 0.3 percent; (SiO2) 6.2 percent
Fort Hill: (CaCO3) 99.8 percent; (MgCO3) Nil; (Fe2Oe/Al2O3) Trace; (SiO2) 0.12 percent
(* Herbert A. Franke, “Tulare County,” California Division of Mines Report 26, pp. 423-471, illus., 1930.)
“At Three Rivers, 25 miles east of Visalia, is a deposit of a blue-black marble, suitable for burning lime and for building purposes.”
“Devil’s Thumb Claims. This group of claims, in secs. 2, 3, 10, 11, and 14, T. 23 S., R. 30 E., M.D., was located years ago by A. P. O. Crabtree and others, Porterville. It is about 22 miles by road from the nearest railroad, including 4 or 5 miles of unimproved road. So far as known, the claims have not bee developed.”
“Limestone in Kernville Quadrangle
“Upon a map prepared in connection with a report on the geology of Kernville quadrangle Miller and Webb (40)* have mapped large surface areas of limestone as follows, all being in Tulare County:
Parts of secs. 24, 25, T. 22 S., R. 32 E.
Parts of Secs. 19, 30, T. 22 S., R. 33 E.
Parts of secs. 1, 11, 12, 13, T. 23 S., R. 32 E.
Parts of secs. 6, 7, 18, T. 23 S., R. 33 E.(* William J. Miller and R. W. Webb, “Descriptive Geology of the Kernville Quadrangle, California,” California Division of Mines Report 36, pp. 343-378, 31 figs., pl. 2, 1940.)
“These deposits are mostly on the east side of Kern River in mountainous country at elevations ranging from 4000 to over 6000 feet, and in a region devoid of roads except for the one following Kern River northward from Kernville to Fairview. The distance to railroad in this direction is prohibitive. On the west, the nearest roads are those on the Tule River Indian Reservation, and the highway passing California Hot Springs, each about 10 miles away and each about 20 miles from the railroad.
“This limestone has been placed in the Kernville series of metamorphic rocks, and its age has not been proven because of a lack of fossils or other positive evidence. The authors of the above paper, however, incline to the belief that the Kernville series is probably equivalent to the Calaveras (late Paleozoic) on the basis of lithologic similarity.
“The marbles are described as ‘nearly everywhere crystalline, calcitic, white to bluish-gray, thick-bedded, fine to moderately coarse-grained and almost invariably fetid. Beds of white marble, ranging from a few to several feet in thickness are associated with bluish gray and banded white crystalline limestone.”
“Moorehouse Creek limestone deposits are owned by Riverside Portland Cement Company, 621 South Hope Street, Los Angeles. They include the Bluff, Rufus D. Morris, Mammoth, Jumbo, Bluff No. 2, Great Western, Travertine, and South Side patented placer claims, 997.59 acres, and possibly other unpatented claims in secs. 29, 30, 31, and 32, T. 20 S., R. 31 E., M.D. Springville on the Southern Pacific Railroad is 13 miles west by road.
“These deposits are so large that a great deal of time would be required to examine them and take proper samples. So far as known the only work done was that required for patent. The claims extend from the southwest corner of section 31 northward for 1 ¾ miles and for 1 ½ miles east and west. The South Fork of Middle Fork of Tule River and the Springville-Camp Nelson road cross the claims, which extend from an elevation of 3700 to 5500 feet or more.
“The deposits vary from spring deposits of travertine to high-grade limestones and siliceous marbles. Parts of the claims are covered by brush and timber. Two mountains form conspicuous parts of the holdings. The smaller is on the west side of Moorehouse Creek near the center of S ½ sec. 30, and near the line between Great Western and Bluff placer mines. A short adit has been driven near the creek. The stone here is in part white and coarsely saccharoidal, and in part is white banded with gray and not so sugary in texture. A sample taken here gave the following analysis:
Insoluble, 0.65 percent
Ferric and aluminic oxides, 0.34 percent
Calcium carbonate, 93.86 percent
Magnesium carbonate, 5.14 percent
Total, 99.99 percent“The other (and much higher) mountain is a mile east of the first and occupies a large part of section 29, of which 340 acres is covered by three of the patented claims. It reaches 5500 feet elevation on the claims, and is part of one of the largest undeveloped limestone belts in the state. The country rock is granite and schist and there has been considerable metamorphism, with formation of marble and silicification of the limestone on the flanks of the belt. The geology of the region has not been worked out, but it is part of the Sierra Nevada and the limestone may prove to be either Triassic or Carboniferous.
“The following analysis was made of a grab-sample taken near the southwest corner of the Rufus D. Morris claim in order to show the general character. Near the surface the limestone is gray, medium to fine crystalline, rather sugary and easily broken; but in part is black, tough and slaty.”
Insoluble, 5.19 percent
Ferric and aluminic oxides, 1.10 percent
Calcium carbonate, 89.45 percent
Magnesium carbonate, 4.24 percent
Total, 99.98 percent
“Rocky Point Granite Quarry, in Sec. 8, T. 19 S., R. 27 E.; Griffith & Owens, of Exeter, owners. The granite is a gray syenitic rock, of very uniform texture and color, which splits readily in any direction and takes a fine polish. It occurs in large detached masses and flattened beds; the pitch of the latter is a little east of north, at an angle of about 30 degrees. These beds or layers vary from 2 to 25 feet in thicknesses, and are so situated that a back of any required height may be obtained to the quarry. The ‘rift’ appears to be east and west. All drilling is done by hand. Powder is used only to break the larger pieces, while the dimension stone is split by plugs and feathers. Any desired size of building stone is obtainable. The company also operates a yard in Exeter for dressing and polishing the stone before shipping. (See XIIth Annual Report of California State Mining Bureau, 1894, page 387.)
| Ill. No. 21. Shed and Yard at Rocky Point Granite Quarry, Tulare County. |  |
“Grant Rock and Gravel Company’s Quarry. The quarry is situated 8 miles northwest of Visalia on ridge north of St. John’s River. A hard serpentinized peridote is being quarried from an open quarry 350 feet wide by 80 feet high. The method used in breaking rock is to run a series of small parallel adits a distance of 50 feet in face of quarry. Then to drive drifts at Right Angles to main adit a distance of 30 feet, forming a T. The drift is loaded with 6 tons of explosive and hermetically sealed. The charge will bring down an immense amount of material. The broken rock from the face of the quarry is hauled a distance of 275 feet to crushing plant bins, in Kalvaugh New Model underslung carts – capacity 36 cubic feet. From bins the rock is crushed by two Austin No. 5 gyratory crushers, making a 1 ¼” product. From the crushers the material is elevated to two rotary screens (18’ long x 48” diameter) and screened to following sizes: 3/8” to ¾”, 1 ½” to 2 ¼”. All material over 2 ¼” returned to Symonds disc crusher. The screens have a capacity of about 100 tons per hour. The product from Symonds crusher is re-elevated and screened. Four sizes of material are produced, namely: Screenings: No. 1 product is 3/8” to ¾”; No. 2 product is ¾” to 1 ½”; No. 3 product is 1 ½ to 2 ¼”. The capacity of the plant is 1200 tons per day. Thirty men are employed. Grant Rock and Gravel Co., Cory Bldg., Fresno, owner.”
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