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Home > Iowa
| The map reads as follows: "A Geological Map of Iowa showing commercial quarries, lime kilns and Portland Cement plants in Iowa"Map is dated 1907. (Size is 220KB.) |
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| Chalk Cliff on the Sioux river, Plymouth County. |  |
| Exposure of the Forbes limestone near Hawleyville, Page County. |  |
The Museum is located at 1434 316th Lane, Missouri Valley, Iowa 51555-7033; phone (712) 642-4121.
"The Museum features mining supplies recovered from the Bertrand, a sternwheel paddleboat that was recently discovered buried in a field in the Refuge. Interpretive plaques are also at the site of discovery. "The Bertrand sank on its way to the Montana goldfields in 1865. Most of the cargo consisted of mining tools, mercury (for gold refining), and supplies."The Bertrand was only one of many steamboats which, following the discovery of gold in Adler Gulch, Montana, in 1862.attempted the 2000-mile upriver voyage from St. Louis to Fort Benton. The 178' Bertrand was built in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1864 and sank on her first voyage on the Missouri River. Nor was the loss of the Bertrand unusual, dozens of steamboats were lost within a few decades. In fact, it was the sinking of the Cora II, several hundred yards upstream, that interrupted salvage of the Bertrand. Sometime later, the Missouri River shifted its course, leaving the Bertrand buried in river mud. The Arabia, in Kansas City, is a similarly recovered riverboat, and is actually a few decades older. The Arabia did not carry mining supplies, as the Montana rush had not begun at that time."The brochure, Bertrand, provides a brief account of historic shipping on the Missouri, of the Bertrand, and the discovery, excavation, and preservation."
"In the early days of Iowa, the pioneers used local stone in several of the early forts. In 1840 stone was used in the buildings at Fort Atkinson in Wineshiek County and also for foundations for houses and barns. Native stone was also used in public buildings., street curbing, gutters, paving blocks, and ballast for the railroads."Lime was quarried early on to be used in cement and mortar. Eventually, this industry disappeared from Iowa.
"Once Portland Cement was widely used, the need for great quantities of quarried stone from Iowa for use in buildings diminished. "Then plants for manufacture of Portland cement came to Iowa, and presently were quarrying enormous tonnages of limestone and shale from locations in the vicinity of Winterset, at Mason City, and at Buffalo.""By 1957 only a few quarries were still producing building stone.
"Most of the quarries in Iowa were concentrated in the eastern portion of the state. By 1957 most of the quarries had been abandoned, although since then some have reopened. Beds of limestone have been quarried in Allamakee, Winneshiek, and Dubuque counties. In 1957 St. Peter sandstone was being mined in Clayton County. "The Silurian variety of limestone can be found in the eastern counties of Iowa in Jones, Delaware, Jackson, Cedar, Clinton, and Scott counties. Large quantities of limestone were quarried from these areas, especially the quarries in Jones County. At Anamosa penitentiary personnel quarried stone to be used in buildings, walls and terraces. This stone was also used in Botan Hall and Morrill Hall at Iowa State College. This is the 'Anamosa stone.' In 1957 this stone was still being quarried for use as crushed stone."
“Although Iowa is renowned as an agricultural State, its production of mineral commodities in 1964 was valued at more than $100 million. Construction materials (cement, stone, sand, gravel, and gypsum) make up most of the mineral output of the state, but some fossil fuels (coal and petroleum) also are produced.”
| The map reads as follows:
"A Geological Map of Iowa showing commercial quarries, lime kilns and Portland Cement plants in Iowa" Map is dated 1907. (Size is 220KB.) |
|
As the Iowa developed, people learned that good building material could be obtained from Iowa's bedrock. Iowa limestone was used to build the Old Capitol in the territorial capital of Iowa City in 1849, and in 1872 limestone was used in the construction of the Iowa Men's Reformatory in Anamosa. Many of the old stone buildings have become landmarks. The building-stone quarries were concentrated in eastern Iowa. Also, a number of buildings were constructed from Sioux Quartzite obtained from an exposed bedrock at the far northwest tip of Iowa.
“President: W. C. Spaulding, Fairfield.
Secretary and Treasurer: W. W. Woods, Marshalltown.”
"Stone: Many of Iowa's 19th-century bridges and buildings were built of limestone in towns along major rivers, where rock exposures were common. The growth of railroads, the need for improved highways, and the increased use of ag-lime required sources of crushed stone. Prominent production districts included Cedar, Jones, Des Moines, Marshall, Lee, Madison, Jackson, and Scott counties. By 1982 the value of crushed stone surpassed cement and became the leading mineral commodity, accounting for 41% of the state's total mineral value. By 1990 there were 460 registered quarry sites in Iowa." (This site includes a large photograph of the Bealer Quarries in Cedar County circa 1900.)
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The sandstone house in Amana (Olde World Lace Shoppe) was built in 1857. Buildings in several of the Amana villages, both residential and community, are built from the reddish-brown sandstone that was quarried locally. The sandstone buildings of Amana mainly date from the 1850s through the 1870s.
Early settlers in Iowa quarried and used the sandstone from the channel deposits for building and foundation stone. The sandstone buildings of the Amana Colonies are some of the best examples.
According to this brochure, this mansion was designed in the Italianate style in 1874 for William Larabee, Iowa’s 12th Governor. Brick and limestone were used in the construction of the mansion.
From 1872 to 1884 the state capitol building in Des Moines was constructed from a variety of building stones. Granite boulders were obtained from Buchanan County and Minnesota granite quarries. In Johnson and Madison counties in Iowa, limestone blocks were quarried to use as the foundation and lower levels. Sandstone blocks from Missouri quarries were used for the majority of the exterior stone. "Additional stone, both local and imported, was used in the interior construction, including a number of decorative marbles."
Construction of the New Melleray Abbey near Dubuque wasbuilt in stages between 1868 and continued into the 1950s by the monks. The monastery's quarry produced the dolomite blocks in addition to the Anamosa stone which was used as edge-blocks and windows. Indiana limestone was also used in the construction of the build.
| (From Iowa Geological Survey, Vol. XVII, Fifteenth Annual Report of the Iowa State Geologist, 1906.) |  |
Between 1840 and 1842 Fort Atkinson was constructed as a frontier military post. The Fort is located in northeast Iowa, and the purpose of the fort was to protect the Winnebago Indians of the area from other Indians. The Fort's stone quarry provided limestone slabs that were used to construct the foundations of the buildings and the barracks. Limestone-walled construction was used for the main buildings. Many of these buildings have been restored and can be seen today within the preserve.
According to this brochure, “...Limestone slabs derived from the fort’s quarry were used for the barracks’ foundation and other buildings. The main buildings were limestone-walled construction....”
The second, attached building next to the matte-finished stainless steel Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratories was constructed of Anamosa limestone quarried at the Stone City, Iowa, quarry.
According to this brochure, “The Coal Palace was dismantled following the 1891 exposition season.”
According to this brochure, the museum “is made of durable purplish Sioux Quartzite....”
| Fig. 41 (From Iowa Geological Survey, Vol. XVII, Fifteenth Annual Report of the Iowa State Geologist, 1906.) |  |
According to this brochure, boulders and cobblestones from glacial deposits that swept across Iowa were used in the construction of Iowa buildings, especially house and barn foundations. The Iowa Lakeside Laboratory is an example of this type of boulder construction.
The following stones were used in the McKim Building. Pink Knoxville marble was used for the floors, walls, and vaulted ceiling in the Vestibule. Also, brown Knoxville marble and Levanto marble were inlaid in patterns on the floor of the vestibule. Iowa sandstone was used for the three heavy piers in the Entrance Hall. The floor of the Entrance Hall is mainly of white Georgia marble. Ivory Gray Echaillon marble mottled with fossil shells was used for the steps of the Main Staircase, and variegated yellow Sienna was used for the walls by the Main Staircase. Unpolished Siena marble was used for the “great twin lions, couchant, on pedestals at the turn of the main stairs. The arcade that separates the Puvis de Chavannes Gallery and the Main Staircase is of yellow Siena marble. Rouge antique and Levanto marble were used for the heavy marble doorways that lead into Bates Hall from the Puvis de Chavannes Gallery, and Istrian and red Verona marble were used for the floors.
The National Park Service web site presents the memorial stones in placed in the interior of the Washington Monument. The Iowa Memorial Stone entry can be viewed on the National Park Service’s web site in either the “Album” or the “Slide Show.”
The Iowa Memorial Stone in the Washington Monument can be viewed along with the details in the WAMO Stones Section 2. The Masons, Grand Lodge of Iowa Memorial Stone can be viewed along with the details in the WAMO Stones Section 4.
The Washington Monument web site has recently been redesigned. Below is an description that was available on the National Park Service web site in January 2008 that describes the Memorial Stones in the Washington Monument.
“A unique feature of the Washington Monument is the 193 memorial stones that adorn the interior of the monument. Starting in July 1848 the Washington National Monument Society invited states, cities and patriotic societies to contribute Memorial Stones. The Society listed some requirements to be followed. They asked that the stone be durable, a product of the state’s soil, and meet the following dimensions; four feet long, two feet high and 18 inches thick. These stones pay tribute to the character and achievements of George Washington. These traits are not only admired by Americans but by people the world over as seen by the number of stones donated by foreign countries. Below is a list of stones donated by state. In the near future all the stones will be online.
“While viewing the stones please keep in mind that the Washington Monument has undergone extensive renovation over the last three years. A key component of the project has been the restoration of the memorial stones. Over the years the stones have been damaged by moisture and vandalism. The pictures that follow show the condition of the stones before their restoration. In the upcoming months new images will be added highlighting the restored stones.”
The following information relating to the Iowa Memorial Stone can be viewed along with the details in the WAMO Stones Section 2.
Name: Iowa
Level: 110-ft.
Donor: State of Iowa
Dates: 1853/1850s
Original material: limestone
Dimensions: 2' x 4'
Sculptor/Carver: not known
Original inscription: Iowa. Her affections, like the rivers of her borders, flow to an inseparable union.
Documented material history:
• 1853: “The following blocks have been received during the month of May:...one of marble from the State of Iowa.” [DNI, June 3, 1853.]
• 1850s: “The state of Iowa has sent a block of fine native lime stone....” [RW]
Images:
• 1850s Wilcox drawing
• 1880 Gedney drawing
• 1957 Allen photograph
• 1974 photograph
• 1980 photograph
• 2000 NPS slides
The following information relating to the Masons, Grand Lodge of Iowa Memorial Stone can be viewed along with the details in the WAMO Stones Section 4.
Name: Masons, Grand Lodge of Iowa
Level: 210-ft.
Donor: Masons, Grand Lodge of Iowa
Dates: 1876/1885
Original material: granite
Dimensions: 2' 8" x 3' 11"
Sculptor/Carver: not known
Original inscription: Grand Lodge of Iowa A. F. & A. M. 1876.
Documented material history:
• 1877: “It was received and acknowledged so by Charles Stanbury on June 22, 1877.” [MR]
• 1880: “In Lapidarium” [CG]
Additional documented material information: “The stone was raised from an Iowa quarry.” [MR]
Images:
• 1880 Gedney drawing
• 1953 photograph [Henry Rohland, TWP, October 27, 1953.]
• 1957 Allen photograph
• 1974 photograph
• 1980 photograph
• 2000 NPS slides
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