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Structures and Monuments in Which
California Stone was Used

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Finished Product from California Stone in California (Continued)

  • Independence, Inyo County, California – the Inyo County Courthouse – the Dolomite Memorial with plaque for the Volcanic Tufa Rock Memorial.  The plaque was created to commemorate the donation of the large Tufa Rock by Sam Cleland from his property at Fish Slough, Bishop, California.  The plaque is placed on a piece white dolomite, which was quarried near Lone Pine and donated by Manual Castro, Manager of F. W. Aggregates.  More photographs of the court house and grounds can be found on the Inyo County Courthouse Pioneer Memorial & Volcanic Tufa Rock Memorial page.
    Memorial of white dolomite, quarried near Lone Pine and donated by Manual Castro of F. W. Aggregates Inyo County Courthouse, Independence, CA Volcanic Tufa Rock & White Dolomite Memorial at the Inyo County Courthouse, Independence, CA

    This memorial in front of the Inyo County Courthouse is a block of white dolomite quarried near Lone Pine and donated by Manual Castro of F. W. Aggregates

    Inyo County Courthouse, Independence, California

    Volcanic Tufa Rock & White Dolomite Memorial

  • Independence, Inyo County, California – Volcanic Tuff Used for Building Purposes (From The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38, California, State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1906.)

    Volcanic tuff taken from a quarry 6 miles from "...Laws, on the Carson and Colorado Railroad," was used for building purposes in Bishop and Independence."

  • Ione, Amador County, California – the Ione Industrial School Buildings – Excerpt from the Tenth Annual Report of The State Mineralogist For The Year Ending December 1, 1890, California State Mining Bureau, Sacramento: State Printing Office, pp. 1890, pp. 20.

    “San Francisco, August 22, 1890.

    “Hon. Wm. Irelan, Jr.:

    “Dear Sir: I would like to thank you for the assistance you have given me in finding red sandstone. I had been looking all over the State for red sandstone, and came here from Indianapolis in 1889 especially for that purpose, and was unsuccessful, until very lately, in finding any that suited my purpose in the State, although I was hunting for it for about six months.

    “I heard of the Mining Bureau and happened to visit it one day and picked up a copy of the report, and in that report found a description of a deposit of red sandstone in Amador County. I immediately went to Amador County and secured the quarry. Found there was an immense body of it, at least forty acres, and about one hundred and seventy-five feet thick. I at once began to open it up, had the sandstone tested, found it to be of two qualities, a beautiful red and a pure white sandstone. We were very successful in selling the stone from the first day we started to work.

    “The stone has been used in the California State Bank, corner of J and Fourth Streets, Sacramento, one of the finest buildings in the State; also in the Methodist Church in Stockton, one of the largest churches we have; and is now being used in the Christ Church in Alameda, and in the Church of the Holy Innocents in this city; also, the Crocker residence is being built of it almost entirely, and this will be one of the finest buildings ever put up here. It is also being used in a dozen other places in this city and State, namely, Ukiah Asylum, Ione Industrial School buildings, Home for the Feeble-Minded Children at Glen Ellen, Sacramento Post Office, and many other places.

    “I had the stone tested by you and found that it will stand a crushing weight of seven thousand two hundred and ninety-five pounds to the square inch.

    Bank in Sacramento - $35,000

    Methodist Church in Stockton - $16,000

    Crocker Building - $46,000

    Ukiah Asylum, for this year - $26,000

    “I can safely say, that through the discoveries of the State Mining Bureau, there will be at least $500,000 worth of stone taken from this quarry within the next three years, independent of the above, already provided for.

    “Very respectfully yours, David O’Neil”

  • Ione, Amador County, California - the Preston School Buildings (From The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38, California, State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1906.)

    Sandstone from the O'Neal Sandstone Quarry (which was located about 8 miles south of Ione) was used for the entrance and trimmings of the Preston School buildings in Ione. The sandstone is described as having a "warm, rich, bright red color, and even, rather fine grain."

  • Jackson (12 mi. east of), Amador County, California – the Chaw-se Indian Grinding Rock  (Marbleized Limestone Outcrop)

    About the Chaw-se Indian Grinding Rock Park (from the Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park web site)

    “Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park (IGR) is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills 12 miles east of Jackson. The park nestles in a little valley 2,400 feet above sea level with open meadows and large valley oaks that once provided the native Americans of this area with an ample supply of acorns. The park was created in 1968 and preserves a great outcropping of marbleized limestone with some 1,185 mortar holes – the largest collection of bedrock mortars in North America.”

  • Jackson, Amador County, California - the Marre Store Building (From Geologic Guidebook Along Highway 49 - Sierran Gold Belt: The Mother Lode Country, Bulletin 141, Olaf P. Jenkins, Chief, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, California, 1949. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

    "Jackson is primarily a brick town. After the disastrous early fires, which destroyed the frame structures, brick rather than stone was employed to rebuild a permanent and fireproof town. Among the better early stone buildings built of meta-adesitic agglomerate which was secured from the basement excavations or hillside quarries is the old Marre Store."

  • Jenny Lind, Calaveras County, California - Building of Tuffaceous Sandstone (From Geologic Guidebook Along Highway 49 - Sierran Gold Belt: The Mother Lode Country, Bulletin 141, Olaf P. Jenkins, Chief, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, California, 1949. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

    "Jenny Lind, today (circa 1948) almost deserted, was a booming town during the Gold Rush and vestiges of her previous opulence are seen in the abandoned ruins of stone and adobe buildings. The town can be reached from Cooperopolis via Salt Springs Valley and Milton. It is seven miles north of Milton. A building made of carefully dressed blocks of tuffaceous sandstone (Fig. 79) was once a grocery store. The building material was quarried near Valley Springs, a few miles to the north.."

    Fig. 79. Tuffaceous sandstone building, Jenny Lind, DMBS Cal-H16. Tuffaceous sandstone building, Jenny Lind
    Jenny Lind's last remaining ruin. The Upper portion ws built of adobe bricks with the outside of the wall covered with stucco. Jenny Lind's last remaining ruin.
  • Jenny Lind, Calaveras County, California - Foundation of Adobe Structure (From Geologic Guidebook Along Highway 49 - Sierran Gold Belt: The Mother Lode Country, Bulletin 141, Olaf P. Jenkins, Chief, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, California, 1949. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

    "...One large adobe structure still stands (Fig. 80). Its foundation is made of local fieldstone. An old quarry, dug into an outcrop of Ione Silty Sandstone can be seen on the hillside just behind the town (Fig 81)."

    Fig. 80. Adobe building, Jenny Lind, DMBS Cal-H17. Adobe building, Jenny Lind
    Close-up photograph of the basement level of the ruin at Jenny Lind built of locally quarried stone set in mortar. Close-up photograph of the basement level of the ruin at Jenny Lind
  • Keeler, Inyo County, California – the Keeler “End of the Line” Monument of Locally Quarried Dolomite – Manual Castro, the manager of F. W. Aggregates (owner and operator of the nearby dolomite quarries once known as the Inyo Marble Company Quarries) donated this and other large pieces of dolomite quarried from the nearby F. W. Aggregates quarries for use as local monuments.  (Photographs taken by Peggy B. Perazzo in late September 2010. More information and photographs of the Inyo Marble quarries and present-day F. W. Aggregates dolomite quarries are available in the “Inyo Dolomite/Marble Company Quarries” in the Inyo County quarry section of our web site.  Information about the town of Keeler is available on the “Keeler, California” section of Wikipedia.)

    The inscription on the plaque reads:

    “Keller – End of the Line. From Mound House, Nevada, narrow gauge rails of the Carson & Colorado Railroad reached this site in 1883. Cerro Gordo and the other mines faltered, the rail line fell on hard times, so plans to extend the line to Mojave were abandoned, leaving Keeler as “end of the line.” Dedicated May 12, 1973, Slim Princess Chapter, E. Clampus Vitus, Inyo County Board of Supervisors.”

    Keeler “End of the Line” Monument, Inyo Co., CA Keeler “End of the Line” Monument, Inyo Co., CA Close-up of the Keeler “End of the Line” Monument, Inyo Co., CA

     

    The Keeler “End of the Line” Monument of Locally Quarried Dolomite

     

  • Keeler (north of & south of Swansea), Inyo County, California – the Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Program Monument of locally quarried dolomite  – Manual Castro, the manager of F. W. Aggregates (owner and operator of the nearby dolomite quarries once known as the Inyo Marble Quarries) donated large pieces of dolomite quarried from the F. W. Aggregates quarries for use as local monuments.  This monument is located on State Route 136.  (These photographs were taken by Peggy B. Perazzo in September 2010.  More information and photographs of the Inyo Marble quarries and present-day F. W. Aggregates dolomite quarries are available in the “Inyo Dolomite/Marble Company Quarries” in the Inyo County section of our web site.) Peggy B. Perazzo
    Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Program Monument, Inyo Co., CA Closeup of the Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Program Monument, Inyo Co., CA Closeup of the Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Program Monument, Inyo Co., CA

     

    Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Program Monument of locally quarried dolomite

     

    The inscription on the plaque reads:

    Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Program

    “Owens Lake was once over 300 feet deep and part of a large ancient freshwater lake.  As the climate changed over centuries, the lake began to dry up leaving behind concentrated minerals and salts.  By 1905, diversion of water by farmers in the Owens Valley, coupled with drought in the region, had shrunk the lake even further to approximately 80% of what it was in the mid 1800s.  In 1913, the City of Los Angeles purchased most of the water rights in the Owens Valley and completed the first Los Angeles Aqueduct to divert much of the remaining water in the Owens River south to the City of Los Angeles.  As a result, the lakebed has been essentially dry since 1920.

    “Dust blowing from the dry lakebed became a problem for the communities surrounding Owens Lake, and its presence eventually constituted a violation of the Federal air quality dust standard.  In July of 1998, the City of Los Angeles and the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District entered into a historic agreement committing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to mitigate the dust conditions.

    “This marker signifies the first phase of a dust control program – Shallow flooding.  This involves delivering water to emissive areas of the lakebed until the soil becomes thoroughly wet to the surface and is unable to emit dust.

    “This program is a part of a series of actions in which the City of Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power have taken positive steps to protect the environment.

    “Dated November 17, 2001 – Los Angeles DWP Department of Water & Power”

  • Kelsey, El Dorado County, California - Arrastre Stone of Granodiorite (From Geologic Guidebook Along Highway 49 - Sierran Gold Belt: The Mother Lode Country, Bulletin 141, Olaf P. Jenkins, Chief, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, California, 1949. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

    "At the little town of Kelsey six miles north of Placerville, on Highway 93 to Georgetown, a frame cabin has been reconstructed on the site once occupied by the blacksmithy of James Marshall. This cabin once housed a museum, the only remaining exhibit (circa 1948) of which is a granodiorite muller stone from an old arrastre, the primitive manual mill employed by Mexicans in the very first efforts in California to reduce gold from hard rock ores (Fig. 141)."

    Fig. 141. Arrastre stone of granodiorite, Kelsey, DMBS Pla-H5. Arrastre stone of granodiorite, Kelsey
  • Kelseyville (over five miles from), Lake County, California – Old Hotel Foundation of Cryptocrystalline (From “Mines and Mineral Resources of Lake County, California,” California State Division of Mines, California Journal of Mines and Geology, pp. Vol. 43, No. 1, January 1947, pp. 15-40. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

    “…At a sharp bend in the Bottlerock road, 5 miles from Kelseyville or 2 miles from the point where this road leaves State Highway 29, an old road leads to the foundation of an old hotel that was built of local stone at a distance of only a few hundred yards from the Bottlerock road. The stone is almost like obsidian but is cryptocrystalline. Most of the stone in the immediate vicinity, sec. 1, T. 12 N., R. 9 W., M. D., is obsidian.”

  • Klamath River, Siskiyou County (?), California – the Klamath River Bridge Abutments constructed prior to October 1887 (Sandstone) – Excerpts from California “Building Stone” (pdf), in Seventh Annual Report of the State Mineralogist.  For the Year Ending October 1, 1887, California State Mining bureau, Sacramento:  State Office, J. D. Young, Supt. State Printing, 1888, pp. 210-211.  (See the pdf version of the transcription above for detailed information on Henley Sandstone.)

    Henley Sandstone.

    “...The Henley sandstone is a moderately fine-grained, light bluish-gray stone, showing to the unaided eye, dark gray and whitish quartz granules, with numerous black and few white mica scales, held together by a slight argillaceous and calcareous cement....”

    Occurrence. – The owner of the quarry, Mr. Robert Rangeley, of Henley, Siskiyou County, states that the sandstone beds are behind the town of Henley, and within one mile of Hornbroke Station on the California and Oregon Railroad; that the supply is inexhaustible, and that the stone was used in the construction of the abutments for the railroad bridge over the Klamath River.”

  • Knights Ferry, Stanislaus County, California - Stone Grist Mill Buildings, Retaining Walls, Basement Walls, and Bridge Piers and Abutments (From Geologic Guidebook Along Highway 49 - Sierran Gold Belt: The Mother Lode Country, Bulletin 141, Olaf P. Jenkins, Chief, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, California, 1949. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

    "Settled by William Knight in 1848, this town on the Stanislaus River soon became a center for local mining and an important point on the route to the Mother Lode...Knight was succeeded by the Dent brothers (brothers-in-law to U.S. Grant), who built the Tullock Mill (Fig. 37) at the east end of town near the famous covered bridge. The brick one-story warehouse was raised in 1852-58 and the stone grist mill buildings were erected in 1852 by T. Vinson, an English stone mason. Vinson built the piers and abutments of the covered bridge in 1862-63. The brown and pink stone used in the Tullock Mill is local Ione sandstone quarried in the nearby slopes; other stones in the main east and south walls are from granite and conglomerate river boulders.

    "The use of local Ione sandstone is also evidenced in Knights Ferry in the low retaining walls (Fig. 40, left) which line the back streets and alleys. The famous iron jail is perhaps the most unusual one in the Mother Lode district. The Chinese are attributed authorship of the adobe brick houses, remnants of which may be seen south of the road near the jail. Their basement walls are of Ione sandstone blocks or rounded river cobble-mud-mortar construction.."

    Fig. 37. Tulloch Mill, Knights Ferry, HABS 1137-6. Tulloch Mill, Knights Ferry
    Fig. 40. Sandstone wall. Knights Ferry, DMBS Sta-H1. Sandstone wall. Knights Ferry
  • Knowles, Madera County, California – Granite structures built from stone from the nearby McGilvray granite quarry.

    McGilvray Granite Quarry (Inactive), Photographic Tour, Knowles, California (photographs taken Sept. 2010)

    A part of the McGilvray Granite Quarry in Knowles, California A part of the McGilvray Granite Quarry in Knowles, California A part of the McGilvray Granite Quarry in Knowles, California

    A part of the McGilvray Granite Quarry in Knowles, California

    Another part of the McGilvray Granite Quarry

    McGilvray Granite Quarry
    (present-day photo)

    Granite structures left in place, Knowles, California St. Anne’s Church, Knowles, CA, built by Peter Bisson of locally quarried granite

    Granite structures left in place

    St. Anne’s Church, Knowles, CA, built by Peter Bisson of locally quarried granite

  • La Grange, Stanislaus County, California - Stone Buildings and a Stone-Walled Ditch of Ione Sandstone (From Geologic Guidebook Along Highway 49 - Sierran Gold Belt: The Mother Lode Country, Bulletin 141, Olaf P. Jenkins, Chief, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, California, 1949. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

    "La Grange is located south of Highway 120 and west of Coulterville.

    "In La Grange proper is a beautifully preserved adobe brick building...Opposite the building is a pair of stone buildings complete with iron doors (Fig. 39). They are made of light tan-and-pink Ione sandstone which occurs just west of La Grange.

    "Two miles south of La Grange on the road to Coulterville is a stone-walled ditch used in earlier times for mining operations (Fig. 40, right). It is neatly made of dry-laid flat schist slabs gathered from the immediate vicinity."

    Fig. 39. Sandstone buildings, La Grange, DMBS, 233-D-4. Sandstone buildings, La Grange
    Fig. 40. Stone-walled ditch, south of La Grange, DMBS Sta-H2. Stone-walled ditch, south of La Grange
  • Lake Tahoe, Placer County, California – Sierra White Granite Sculptures, by M. C. Carolyn.

    A large Sierra White Granite Sculpture and a small Sierra White Granite sculpture are shown on M. C. Carolyn’s web site. (Sierra White granite is quarried at Raymond in Madera County, California.)

  • Lake Tahoe, Placer County & El Dorado Counties, California – Summer Homes at Lake Tahoe  (The following information is from “Projects Utilizing Rocklin Granite,” compiled by members of the Rocklin Historical Society from various sources, 2011.)

    “1939  Summer homes at Lake Tahoe – Many years Marshall Ruhkala (mason)”

  • Lakeside, San Diego County, California – the San Vicente Dam – This is one of the stops on the San Diego County granite quarry tour that Jeff McGreevy took my husband Pat and me on that covered the Santee/Lakeside/Grossmont, et al. areas. Jeff is a member of the Santee Historical Society and the San Diego Gem and Mineral Society. (You can reach Jeff via his email located above if you’d like to contact him directly.)  According to Jeff, the granite from the quarry shown in the photos below and on the San Vicente Dam Quarry Photographic tour, was used in the construction of the San Vicente Dam.  You can read more about the construction of the San Vicente Dam and view some photographs in the “San Vicente Dam & Quarry” section of Wikipedia.
    San Vicente Dam Quarry Area, Lakeside, San Diego Co., CA San Vicente Dam, Lakeside, San Diego Co., CA

    San Vicente Dam Quarry Area

    San Vicente Dam center-right in the photo above

  • Lancaster, Los Angeles County, California – the Lancaster Cemetery – the Japanese Pioneer Memorial (photographs and history) The following information is from the “Japanese Pioneer Memorial Restoration & Rededication” section of the 2010 Preservation Awards on the Los Angeles Conservancy web site. (The link from which the following information was obtained is no longer available.)
    <http://www.laconservancy.org/awards/10_japanese.php4>

    According to this web site, “In the Pioneer Section of Lancaster Cemetery stands a ten-foot memorial to the early Japanese settlers of the Antelope Valley. This elegant monument, featuring a sierra white-granite* obelisk, was established by thirteen Japanese families and originally dedicated in 1938….” (* Sierra White granite is quarried at Raymond in Madera County, California.)

  • Laws (near), Inyo County, California – Stone Buildings & Other Stone Uses at the Laws Railroad Museum & Historic Site.  Stone, probably locally quarried, was used in the construction of the Blacksmith Shop at the Laws Railroad Museum & Historic Site in addition to other uses such as the stone doorstep in front of the Miner’s Cabin.  You will find information about the museum grounds on the Laws Railroad Museum & Historic Site web site and the Laws Railroad Museum section of Wikipedia.  More photographs of the Laws Railroad & Historic Site can be found on the Laws Railroad Museum & Historic Site page.
    Laws Station Memorial, Laws Railroad Museum & Historic Site, Inyo Co., CA Blacksmith Shop, Laws Railroad Museum & Historic Site, Inyo Co., CA Stone wall of the Blacksmith Shop, Laws Railroad Museum & Historic Site, Inyo Co., CA

    Laws Station Memorial

    Blacksmith Shop – Walls of Stone

    Closeup of a portion of one of the walls of the Blacksmith Shop

  • Logtown, El Dorado County, California - Stone House of Mortared Meta-andesite and Old Arrastre Millstones (From Geologic Guidebook Along Highway 49 - Sierran Gold Belt: The Mother Lode Country, Bulletin 141, Olaf P. Jenkins, Chief, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, California, 1949. Used with permission, California Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey.)

    "Logtown is located in Logtown Ravine about midway between Plymouth and El Dorado. In the little flat near which was once the site of Logtown are two stone house ruins. One, seen through the cottonwoods on the west side of the road (Fig. 119), is of especial interest because laid in the mortared walls of meta-andesite are a number of beautifully polished, mottled granodiorite millstones from an old arrastre (Fig. 120). Fifteen of these arrastre stones average 22 inches long, 15 inches wide, and 10 inches thick. Others even larger occur in the vicinity at random, as though they were too heavy to be of use. On the back surface of the stones are three conjoined drill holes which received iron eye-bolts to which the chains were attached. All show a smooth, undulating, grinding surface marred only by curved scratches formed by contact with the quartz ore. Many have flat or rounded sides which were caused by contact with the sides of the arrastre walls (cf. Fig. 139).

    Fig. 119. Building foundation walls, near Logtown, DMBS Eld-H1. Building foundation walls, near Logtown
    Fig. 120. Four arrastre stones laid in walls of building shown in fig. 119. Lower left shows drill hole and cross section of stone, DMBS Eld-H2A-D. Four arrastre stones laid in walls of building shown in fig. 119
    Fig. 139. Arrastre walls, 1 mile north of Baileys, DMBS Pla-H3. Arrastre walls, 1 mile north of Baileys

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