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Home > Missouri > Quarry Links and Photographs > Nodaway thru Pettis County
“This quarry, which is located one mile south of the depot, at Nodaway, is owned and operated by the Burlington Railroad. Mr. J. C. Young, of Nodaway, is superintendent of the quarry. It was opened in 1901, and at the time inspected the work had consisted mainly of breaking up the boulders which make up the talus slope. The face of the cliff, which it is intended to quarry, has a depth of twenty-two feet and consists of gray limestone. A very prominent bedding plane divides the beds roughly into two eleven foot ledges. The entire face of the quarry is broken by bedding planes into layers from six inches to one foot in thickness.
“The stone is very much alike in all the beds, being a finely crystalline, argillaceous limestone. The stripping has a maximum thickness of nine feet at the edge of the quarry, but will increase considerably as the work is extended into the hill. The major joint strike N. 40° E. and N. 60° W. and are from ten to fifteen feet apart. The floor is twenty-five feet above the railroad track.
“The stone which is being worked at present is unfit for anything except rip rap, ballast, macadam and foundation work.”
Noel.
“Three quarries are operated at this place. Most of the strata found in the quarry of the Madge Stone Co.,* described on a previous page, occur at all of the quarries. The strata above and including the seven-foot bed, have been removed by erosion at this place, leaving only the lower part of the section. The following quarries are being operated south of the city: The John P. Hughes quarry, the Armstrong and Cravens quarry and the Railroad quarry.”
(* Note: You can view the section on the Madge Stone Co. Limestone Quarry if you wish mentioned in the paragraph above.)
“This quarry, which is operated by James Armstrong and C. M. Cravens, is located about one mile south of Noel, just east of the Kansas City Southern railroad. The quarry, which was leased for five years from H. Hazelbaker, has been in operation about three years. The lease covers a west frontage of 574 feet, the company having now worked a distance of 300 feet. The following is a section from top to bottom of the quarry:
4 ft. 6 in. - Gravel and dirt stripping.
2 ft. - Shelly, broken stone.
12 in. - Solid bed, very difficult to cap. Used for bridge work.
10 in. - Caps into two 5-inch layers used for curbing. Bed varies in quality; portions being of no value.
1 ft. 2 in. - Caps easily into 6 and 8-inch curbing.
12 in. - Makes 5-inch and 4 ½-inch curbing.
1 ft. 8 in. - Caps into three equal layers.
“The stone is all finely crystalline and has a slightly bluish color. Practically the entire output is curbing, which is shipped mainly to Kansas City. The top ledge and second ledge from the bottom are rather brittle and easier to work than the remaining beds. Open joints filled with clay strike N. 70° E. and occur from 40 to 60 feet apart. No joints at right angles to this direction have been encountered. From ten to twenty men are employed in this quarry. It is equipped with two steam drills, two hoists and three derricks. The company has offices and yards at 202 Oak street, Kansas City.”
“This quarry, which is located just west of the Kansas City Southern tracks, three-fourths of a mile south of town, is operated chiefly for the production of bridge abutments. The following is a section from the top to the bottom of the quarry:
8 ft. - Shale and rough stone. Stripping.
12 in., 12 in., 14 in., and 12 in. - Solid beds, finely crystalline, bluish gray limestone.
10 in. - Brittle limestone, contains small crystals of pyrite. Caps four inches from top.
1 ft. 8 in. - Bed shows considerable iron sulphide in small crystals. Contains a number of small shale seams parallel to the bedding. Caps six inches from the top.
“The beds are generally separated by thin layers of blue shale. When first quarried and left to season in the sun, the stone from the lower ledge is very liable to crack. This does not occur if the stone is placed in an abutment before seasoning. Open joints filled with clay strike N. 20° E. and N. 85° W. These joints, which are from 60 to 100 feet apart, are a great help in quarrying. It is impossible for the stone to work tight where these occur. The quarry has been operated about two years and an area 200 x 100 feet has been covered. Twenty-five men are employed. All the stone is cut and dressed at the quarry ready to be placed in the bridge.
Laboratory Examination.
Physical tests. - Two-inch cubes of stone from this quarry were tested in the laboratory with the following results
Specific Gravity - 2.711
Porosity -.85 per cent.
Ratio of Absorption -.231
Weight per cubic foot - 168.4 lbs.
Crushing Strength
{ 24.661.5 lbs. per sq. in. on bed.
{ 25,576.0 lbs. per sq. in. on edge.
Crushing strength of samples subjected to freezing tests - 20,472 lbs. per sq. in.
“These tests show that this is one of the strongest limestones in the State, only being surpassed by that from Kesterson’s quarry at Jackson. It is interesting to note that this stone apparently suffered a loss in strength of 4,189 pounds through alternate freezing and thawing. These specimens were carefully prepared from the same block and the loss of 15 per cent. in strength must be chiefly attributed to the effect of the freezing.”
“The Kansas City Southern railroad owns a quarry located just east of the railroad, joining the Armstrong and Cravens quarry on the south. It has a west face about 330 feet long and has been worked to the east 240 feet. The stone is similar in all respects to that in the adjoining quarries. The stone, which is directly underneath the stripping of from two to six feet of gravel and clay, is sound and good. The quarry has been in operation about four years. The principal output is stone from bridge abutments. Two derricks, two drills, a steam hoist and a boiler are used in quarrying handling the stone.”
“The old lime kilns in North Carthage, Mo., which have lain idle for so long, are to be started again as quick as they can be repaired, and one is actually in operation now. The company now in control of the kilns is known as the Spring River Lime Co., and the parties interested are W. B. Hill, of Kansas City, his brother, Judd Hill, and sister, Mrs. Barton, of Springfield. It is also said that Chas. W. Goetz, of St. Louis, is a stockholder. The company owns and operates ten kilns at Ash Grove, three at Everton, and two at Galloway. Mr. J. H. Barton, of Springfield, will manage the affairs of the company. The new company has eighteen men at work at present. One kiln is in operation and a second one is being rebuilt. There are two more old kilns which are in bad shape from long disuse and they will probably be rebuilt later in the year.”
“This quarry, which is owned and operated by Nelson Winters of Marshall avenue and Tuxedo Park, is located at Old Orchard, west of Big Bend road and north of Dale avenue.
“The quarry is situated on the west side of the hill and has a working face of about 200 feet. The lower five feet is a very fine grained, compact, bluish gray limestone, in beds from four to eight inches in thickness. Above this is an eight-foot ledge or gray limestone, in beds from two to fourteen inches in thickness. The stripping consists of from four to six feet of loess. The beds have an apparent gentle dip to the north. The principal products are crushed and building stone.”
| Fig. 1. Chat Piles – Loading by hand. |  |
| Fig. 2. Chat Piles – Loading by steam shovel. |  |
According to this article, Leo Journagan Construction operates 17 mining facilities throughout southwest Missouri. In the third section of the article under the “Limestone producer” subtitle, the limestone quarrying process is described.
“Ozark.
“Two quarries are located in the vicinity of this city, which are owned respectively by Mr. T. Reives and Mr. Henry Spiece. The stone from the Spiece quarry is used exclusively in local buildings, while that from the other quarry is used in the manufacture of curbing and flagging, which are shipped to Springfield and other cities in Southwest Missouri.”
“This quarry, which is located in the Finley creek bottom, one and one-half miles north of Ozark, is operated by W. R. Sims of Ozark. The quarry has an east and west face of 600 feet and a north and south face of 75 feet. The following is a description of the beds from top to bottom:
2 ft. - Soil stripping.
3 in. - Finely crystalline, gray limestone.
7 in. - Finely crystalline, blue limestone. Where weathered, this stone has a buff color.
7 in. - Blue, fine grained limestone. Splits into two layers which make good light curbing.
8 in. - Finely crystalline, compact, blue limestone. Very brittle, but works well for range and coursing. Contains occasional chert nodules.
6 in. - Medium grained, blue limestone, having a conchoidal splintery fracture.
10 in. - Coarsely crystalline, blue limestone. Splits six inches from the bottom and works well into heavy curbing and bridge caps.
3 in. - Fine grained, tough limestone.
6 in., 6 in., 4 in., and 8 in. - These beds occur underneath the present floor of the quarry. They consist of fine grained, crystalline, blue limestone.
“This quarry contains two sets of important jointing planes. The major joints strike N. 60° E. and are from ten to fifteen feet apart, while the minor joints strike N. 30° W. and are about thirty feet apart. Near the surface, these joints are open and usually filled with soil.
“The stone in this quarry separates readily along the bedding planes and can be broken with plugs and feathers into any desired size. The stone contains no shaly seams and has proven very durable for curbing, sidewalks and crosswalks. The stone fades considerably when exposed to the weather.
“The stripping, which consists of soil, is plowed in the fall and the flooding of the creek in the spring washing away about two-thirds of it. The quarry is operated intermittently.”
“This quarry, which is operated by August Spiece, is located one mile north of the city. It has not been worked very extensively. The following is a description of the beds from top to bottom:
10 ft. - Very flinty, gray limestone which cannot be used for buildings.
8 ft. - Bluish gray, fine grained, sub-crystalline, compact limestone. This ledge splits along bedding planes into four two foot beds. The stone has a very uniform color and texture and breaks with a very even fracture. Along the joints the stone has a yellowish color.
12 in. - Fine grained, yellow limestone, containing large calcite crystals.
24 in. - The stone has a number of bluish streaks which traverse it irregularly. It has the appearance of being a durable building stone.
“Below this occur a two-foot bed of solid blue limestone and from fourteen to eighteen inches of shale. This bed of shale occurs immediately above the beds described as occurring in the Reives quarry. The eight-foot ledge of gray limestone can be worked into almost any grade of building stone. Thus far the quarry has been worked entirely for local consumption.”
“Ozora Marble Quarries Company. The quarry of this company opened in 1920; is located on the southeast bank of Saline Creek, in the east part of SE. ¼ sec. 5, T. 36 N., R. 9 E., about two miles south of Ozora. This property is situated in a highly faulted zone and the formations producing marble, the Little Saline and Grand Tower of Devonian age, have been slightly metamorphosed.
“The Little Saline formation is white, slightly pinkish, highly crystalline, cherty-free limestone. The marble from this formation is marketed under the name of ‘Ste. Genevieve Clear.’ It is locally very fossiliferous. As exposed in the quarry openings, the overlying Grand Tower formation is a very variable limestone. Light-colored beds of crystalline limestone are present in the basal part; higher in the formation brownish-gray to dark red, slightly magnesian limestones are common. The red limestone is dense to finely crystalline, and even textured. It appears to be slightly argillaceous. Gray to pink and red crystalline limestone is also found in this part of the formation, the stone being marketed as ‘Ste. Genevieve Rose.’ The overlying beds are white, crystalline, and very fossiliferous, corals being particularly abundant. The succeeding beds are brownish-gray, finely crystalline, hard limestone, marked by small veins which vary from fine lines to one-half inch in width. These are filled with buff to pink-colored limestone, more crystalline than that of the matrix. Small areas of gray crystalline limestone are interspersed in the veining. Fossil corals, which are present in abundance in this part of the formation, are also crystalline, being marked by fine crystals of calcite. The light buff-colored veining has resulted in the trade name of ‘Ste. Genevieve Golden Vein’ being applied to this stone. Polished slabs of this marble are light gray in color, with a light brownish cast. The color of the irregular veining, and the darker colored fossils stand out in pleasing contrast to the lighter gray of the rock. Light colored, finely crystalline marble is being produced above the ‘Golden Vein’ Marble. These beds are even-grained and uniform in color. The stone is hard. Chert is not common in the Little Saline or Grand Tower formations, but occurs locally near the base of the latter.
“The quarries are in the north central part of a heavily faulted block, the structure within the planes of the faults being that of a sharply folded syncline. North of the quarry and on the north side of the fault, the cherty limestones of the Bailey formation of Devonian age outcrop. South of the fault, the Little Saline and Grand Tower limestones are exposed, the beds showing considerable drag along the fault plane. The structure is shown by cross section D-D on the geologic map.
“The general structure is reflected in the quarries. Back of the company’s office, an opening 50 feet long by 40 feet wide by 40 feet high shows brown to gray, red-mottled metamorphosed limestone dipping 23 degrees southeast. The stone quarried is marketed under the trade name of ‘Ste. Genevieve Rose.’ Some of the rock has light greenish-colored stains, which appear on the surface or filling small veins in the rock. The face in this opening which is in the lower middle part of the Grand Tower formation is considerably jointed. Near the surface these show enlargement from solution and are filled with red mud. Mud-filled solution channels were also noted along bedding planes in the upper part of the face. Southeast of the above, another opening has been made in brownish-gray crystalline metamophosed limestone, carrying the buff-colored veining characteristic of the so-called ‘Ste. Genevieve Golden Vein’ marble. The width of the quarry face measured along the strike is about 165 feet, the depth of the opening being about 50 feet. The lower part of this opening is now in gray fine-grained, slightly fossiliferous metamorphosed limestone of ‘Monotone’ marble. The beds in this opening dip 18° S. 75° E. In the northeast corner, the face shows solution channels, which are filled with clay. The rock appears to become more solid as the face is extended in depth or east into the hill.
“About 25 yards east and at a higher elevation a new opening has recently been made in a light gray to light bluish-gray, hard, dense limestone. The beds exhibit approximately the same dip as in the other workings. A mud-filled solution channel was noted near the base of the opening. In developing the property a diamond drill hole was put down and the following record was kindly furnished from memory by Mr. Kelley, the General Manager.
Record of Diamond Drill Hole, Ozora Marble Quarries.
GrandTower formation:
Marble, gray, crystalline, ‘Monotone’ - 30 (feet thick), 30 (feet deep)
Marble, brownish gray, streaked with light colored veins, ‘Golden Vein’ - 30 (feet thick), 60 (feet deep)
Marble, gray crystalline, ‘Monotone’ - 21 (feet thick), 81 (feet deep)
Marble, pink red, brownish-gray, mottled, crystalline ‘Ste. Genevieve Rose’ - 11 (feet thick), 92 (feet deep)
Little Saline formation:
Marble, white to gray, mottled pink, crystalline - 97 ½ (feet thick), 189 ½ (feet deep)
Bailey formation:
Limestone, cherty - – –
“The stone from the upper part of the workings is often discarded, due to the presence of solution channels which prevent the quarrying of sound blocks of considerable size. As the quarries are extended in depth solid blocks can be obtained, and one block was reported quarried that measured 60 by 5 by 4 feet.
“The quarries are quipped with air drills, electric and compressed air channeling machines, and derricks (Pl. XIII, B). Electric power is generated in a plant on the property.
Plate XIII. B. Quarry, Ozora Marble Co., near Ozora. “The lack of adequate transportation facilities has been a factor in the development of the property, as it is necessary to transport the blocks quarried by truck to Hick’s siding, on the St. Louis-San Francisco railway, a distance of 12 miles.”
| Fig. 2. Location of the four principal marble quarries described. Outline Map of Missouri, Missouri Geological Survey and Water Resources. 1) Inkley Marble Quarries Co. quarry. 2) Ozora Marble Quarries Co. quarry. 3) Vermont Marble Co. quarry (and Phenix Marble Co. quarry). 4) Carthage Marble Corp. quarry. |  |
“The marble quarries operated by this company are located in the SE ¼ of Sec. 5, T. 36 N., R. 9 E., in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, approximately one and one-half miles southwest of the village of Ozora. Marble blocks taken from the quarry are transported by truck for a distance of about 7 ½ miles to Marbleton Switch on the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway. The quarry has not been worked since 1943.
“Marble is taken from beds of the Grand Tower formation and the underlying Little Saline formation, both of Devonian age. These formations outcrop in a relative small area in portions T. 36 N., R. 9 E. and are not yet definitely known to be exposed at the surface anywhere in the State outside of that part of Ste. Genevieve County. The area of surface exposure of these two Devonian formations, has been indicated on the geological map of Ste. Genevieve County which was published by this Survey in 1922.* The Little Saline and Grand Tower formations in the immediate vicinity of the quarry, occur in a fault-zone, where two periods of faulting on a large scale took place in this area, one after Middle Devonian time and one after Pennsylvanian time. The structural history of this Ste. Genevieve County area is set out in detail in the report on the geology of Ste. Genevieve’s County* to which the interested reader is referred for a description of the nature of the tectonic events and subsequent periods of erosion which are thought to have removed the Devonian rocks from much of the area which they probably occupied, before Mississippian sediments were laid down in the region.
“Two marble quarries at Ozora have been opened in these Devonian beds. One has utilized stone taken from the lower portion of the Grand Tower formation. This is known as the south quarry, or the ‘Golden Vein’ quarry, as the marble taken from this opening has been marketed as the ‘Ste. Genevieve Golden Vein’. Another quarry, located approximately 200 feet to the north of the ‘Golden Vein’ quarry, is known as the north quarry or the ‘Rose’ quarry, as it has produced marble known as the ‘Ste. Genevieve Rose’. The ‘Rose’ quarry has been opened in the upper portion of the Little Saline formation. The quarries are located on a hillside near the southeast bank of Little Saline Creek. A composite geologic section of the Grand Tower and Little Saline formation was measured and described by Weller and published in his geologic report on the county.*
[* Pages 15 and 16 footnotes number 2: Weller, Stuart, and St. Clair, Stuart, Geology of Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri: Mo. Bureau of Geol. and Mines, Vol. 22, 2d ser., 1928. (Accompanying geologic map published in 1922.)]
| Plate II - A. Ozora quarry, Ste. Genevieve County. South, or “Golden Vein” quarry in Grand Tower formation (1941). |  |
| Plate II - B. Ozora quarry, Ste. Genevieve County. North, or “Rose” quarry in Little Saline formation (1941). Pool of water indicates dip of the marble beds. |  |
Weller’s section is as follows:
Section of grand Tower Formation
11. Limestone, a white, finely crystalline marble; as exposed on the surface, more or less interruptedly, the beds are thin and some of them include numerous grains of quartz sand scattered more or less regularly through the limestone matrix. - 15 feet thick.
10. Talus covered interval - 40 feet thick.
9. Limestone, fine-grained, granular, hard and tough, bluish upon freshly fracturer (sic) surfaces, becoming brown with weathering. Rather thinly bedded. Fossils abundant in some beds, the brachiopod genus Schizophoria the most common form. - 55 feet thick.
8. Limestone, in thin even beds, nearly pure, crystalline, white to buff in color. Fossils very scarce. - 85 feet thick.
7. Limestone, light-colored, mostly nearly white, in rather heavy beds, the texture variable, from granular to dense. Filled with fossil corals in great variety. - 25 feet thick.
6. Limestone, coarsely crystalline, very pure and nearly white, similar to the Little Saline limestone in texture and appearance. Weathered surface rough, with numerous fragmental crinoid stems. The basal part contains corals in abundance. - 25 feet thick.
5. Limestone, dense, hard, compact, and brittle, with numerous irregular chert concretions. No fossils observed. - 12 feet thick.
Section of Little Saline Limestone
4. Limestone, close-textured, hard and brittle, breaking with a splintery fracture, containing numerous bryozoans. The upper Lichenalia bed - 8 feet thick.
3. Limestone, more or less coarsely crystalline, light-colored, nearly white or with a pale pink tint, some portions with pinkish blotches, the lower 8 feet with numerous crinoid stems upon the weathered surface. Some portions of the bed resemble certain beds of the Kimmswick limestone. - 25 feet thick.
2. Limestone, close textured, hard and brittle with numerous bryozoans, entirely similar to bed No. 4. The lower Lichenaliabed - 10 feet thick.
1. Limestone, massive, heavy-bedded, pure and crystalline, nearly white in color or some portions with a pale pink tint. Abundantly fossiliferous, Spirifer Murchisoni the most conspicuous species - 60 feet thick.
“These measurements show the Grand Tower to be approximately 250 feet thick and the Little Saline just over 100 feet thick.
“A weathered outcrop of what appears to be the lower portion of Weller’s bed No. 7 in the above section is seen to contain a few, widely scattered, thin, small, discontinuous ‘stringers’ with small lumps of very fine-grained sandstone in the coralline limestone. The and grains are cemented with calcareous cement. This material is avoided in the selection of marble blocks from the Golden Vein quarry. Weller has mentioned the absence of any break in the limestone sedimentation between the Little Saline and Grand Tower at the time that they originally deposited. He has placed the hard, dense limestone containing irregular masses and nodules of dark gray, dense chert (No. 5 in the section) at the base of the Grand Tower. This bed is the uppermost bed in the north, or ‘Rose’ quarry and makes a readily recognizable marker in the section.
“Bed No. 5 is left as the upper part of the roof ledge in the ‘Rose’ quarry tunnels and has not been quarried because of its chert content and as it is the weathered surface rock at the present summit of that quarry. The ‘Ste. Genevieve Rose’ marble has been taken from approximately 45 feet in beds just above the middle of the Little Saline formation. The deepest part of the ‘Rose’ quarry is now inaccessible, but apparently was in the uppermost part of the thick bed No. 1 in Weller’s measured section.
“The ‘Golden Vein’, or south quarry is located slightly higher in the geologic section, and the ‘Golden Vein’ marble is taken chiefly from the horizon of the lower portion of bed No. 8 and from most of bed No. 7 in the section given. Formerly, the lowest portion of the ‘Golden Vein’ quarry was in the upper part of the coarsely crystalline, nearly white limestone of bed No. 6. This was described by quarrymen as the ‘Monotone’ ledge. However, the recent underground operations in this quarry have carried the bottom of the face into the hill at a level near the top of bed No. 6.
“In the ‘Golden Vein’ (south) quarry the rather heavy, massive beds of the Grand Tower formation dip into the hill at an angle of approximately 23° to 26° in a direction which is near S. 30° E. The massive character of the beds quarried make accurate determinations of dip and strike somewhat difficult to obtain. In the ‘Rose’ (north) quarry, the beds dip at an angle of 25° to 27° in a direction of about S. 30° E.
“The Little Saline strata from which the ‘Ste. Genevieve Rose’ marble blocks have been taken consist chiefly of crystalline, white and pink limestone which is somewhat fossiliferous and contains brachiopods, bryozoans, crinoid fragments, and the remains of other organisms. Some of the beds, especially near the top of the ‘Rose’ quarry, are fine-grained to dense and gray. Pink and red mottling in the ledges add to the variegated coloring of the stone, and some deep red and brownish-red, fine-grained areas stand out in contrast with the more coarsely crystalline background. Smaller, grayish-green areas are also to be seen in some of the rock. Fine, hair-like veins of lighter-colored material are present in some polished specimens, as are narrow veinlets filled with crystalline calcite.
“In the ‘Golden Vein’ (south) quarry, the Grand Tower beds are in general more fine-grained and dense than most of the marble ledges in the Little Saline formation, though some of the ‘Golden Vein’ contains crystalline, medium-grained layers. The Grand Tower formation contains an abundance of fossil corals especially in the lower portion of the quarry. The name applied to marble from this quarry is derived from the fact that veinlets of light buff or tan (‘golden’) color ramify irregularly through the rock. This veining is brought out prominently in the polished slabs. In the lower portion of the ‘Golden Vein’ quarry (lower 15 or 20 feet), are beds which have a slightly darker gray matrix. Discrete, white corallites in some of this darker stone mottle the polished marble in such a pattern that the name ‘Golden Vein Tapioca’ has been aptly applied to it by quarrymen. Approximately 20 feet of lighter-colored ‘golden Vein’ marble lie in the upper part of this south quarry. Contrast is given to the dark Golden vein ledges by the presence of some corals which are darker than the stone of the matrix. Many of these corals have centers that are replaced with crystalline calcite and these calcite areas reflect white light on polished surfaces. In some beds, corraline masses make dead-white areas in the gray ground-mass of the stone.
“Some narrow stylolites are present in both the Grand Tower and Little Saline beds, but they are usually ‘tight’ and are irregular in the quarry-faces. Veining in some polished specimens of both ‘Rose’ and ‘Golden Vein’ marble has irregular or jagged appearance of stylolites. Quarrymen have reported no prominent or annoying ‘crow-feet’ in the beds quarried, but stated that they were more common in the ‘Monotone’ ledges.
“The rock in these quarries has been described (2, p. 323-4) as metamorphosed limestone. The present attitude of the beds in this local fault-block indicates that they have been subjected to some folding, and a shallow syncline or small structural basin apparently has been formed. The dip of the quarry beds may represent drag toward a small fault which has been mapped as occurring only a few hundred yards north of the quarries. No detailed investigation of the degree of any metamorphism which affects the quarry beds has yet been completed in the course of the present study. The principal surface trace of jointing in the Devonian strata at the south quarry is in a direction of about 70° to 80° E. with a very indistinct system at right angles to this trend. Jointing is not prominent in this quarry and reportedly does not materially affect quarrying methods. In the north quarry, the principal joints observed trend in a direction of about N. 80° E. Joint-seams have been slightly enlarged by solution work near the surface and are seen to be inclined at a high angle to the bedding. Other irregular joints, which have flatter dip to the north, ramify through the upper portion of the south end of the quarry near the surface.
“The results of tests made on stone samples from the Ozora marble quarries have been made available through the courtesy of the Ozora Marble Quarries Company. Average of several compressive strength tests was reported to be 18,524 pounds per square inch. Three chemical analyses given showed, respectively a calcium carbonate (CaCO3) content of 98.32 percent, 96.68 percent, and 98.43 percent.
“Quarrying operations were initiated in 1920 and are reported to have been carried on almost continuously until 1943, when operations were suspended. Originally quarrying was carried beneath the zone of weathering in open quarries in which channeling machines were employed, but in recent years tunneling operations were carried into the hill in the south, or ‘Golden Vein’, quarry. By 1940, a tunnel has been started in the north, or ‘Rose’, quarry. In 1941 the ‘Golden Vein’ open quarry extended approximately 150 feet along the strike and about 100 to 125 feet into the hill, and had a maximum depth at the face of some 60 to 75 feet. Tunneling carried a face about 40 feet high into the hill, in two openings which are 20 feet wide at the entrance and are separated by a central pillar with a 20-foot square base. This tunnel now extends about 50 to 60 feet into the hill, down the dip of the strata at an angle of approximately 20° to 25°. Rooms have been driven laterally north and south from both ends of the tunnel and the face is approximately 125 feet long, along the strike.
“The north, or ‘Rose’ quarry is approximately 75 feet (into the hill) by 125 feet along the strike with an offset 35 by 45 feet in the face at the north end which has not been quarried. Latest operations included a new tunnel which was located near the middle of the face. At the time the quarry was examined in 1941, the upper level in this tunnel had been carried about 15 feet into the hill and a face which was 30 feet wide along the strike.
Plate III - A. Ozora quarry. Near view of “Golden Vein” quarry face in south quarry (1941).
Plate III - B. Ozora quarry. North, or “Rose” quarry (1941).
Plate IV - A. Ozora quarry. View underground in south or “Golden Vein” quarry showing dip of Grand Tower formation. (1941). “Blocks were taken out in both of these tunnel operations by line-drilling of complete cuts and by accompanying use of wedging in holes drilled for plug-and-feather. Blocks were taken out in ledges 4 to 6 feet deep and removed with the aid of a line from a hoisting derrick with a 110-foot mast. At the time that operations were suspended in 1943, the north quarry was equipped with a stiff-leg derrick with 35-foot mast and 75-foot boom. Electric motors powered both hoists. Pneumatic drills and quarry bars were used. Air compressors were driven by electric motors, and electricity was supplied by diesel-powered generators.
“Large blocks have been raised from the ledges of the open quarries, and the quarry superintendent stated that one block which measured 32 feet 10 inches by 3 feet 8 inches by 3 feet 8 inches was loaded, trucked to the railroad, and shipped to an eastern fabricator. A crusher plant, installed to utilize waste stone, is located near the north quarry but has not been in operation for a number of years.
“The marble is used for interior decorative purposes and is marketed under the trade names ‘Ste. Genevieve Golden Vein’ and “Ste. Genevieve Rose’. Polished slabs of the ‘Golden vein’ marble have a light to medium gray body with delicate veining of both light and dark, buff and tan. Clouded areas of the lighter tan colors are also present, and cross-sections of fossil corals and crinoid fragments stand out in pleasing contrast. The corals are usually darker gray than the groundmass, and commonly have white centers which are the result of replacement by crystalline calcite. Stylolitic veining is irregular, and much of the marble from both the ‘Golden Vein’ and the ‘Rose’ quarries has a somewhat brecciated appearance on polished surfaces. Polished slabs of the ‘Rose’ marble present variegated colorings, chiefly of rose, pink, deep red, and pale greenish-gray tones which marble a pink or gray groundmass. Light and dark shades of the rose coloring are obtainable in different portions of the ‘Rose’ quarry. Intersecting veinlets, filled with calcite, mark slabs of both types of Ozora marble and contrasting areas of relatively finer and coarser textures make interesting variations in the background colors.
“Among the many structures in which marble from the Ozora quarries has been used, the following list of buildings is taken from an incomplete list which was supplied by the operating company in 1941:
“‘Ste. Genevieve Rose’ Marble
So. Calif. Edison Bldg., Los Angeles, Calif.
Post Office, Miami, Fla. (Also ‘Golden Vein’ marble)
Loews Theatre, Atlanta, Ga.
Post Office, Council Bluffs, Ia.
Post Office, and Federal Bldg., Jackson, Miss.
State Office Bldg., Jefferson City, Mo.
Jackson Co. Court House, Kansas City, Mo. (also ‘Golden Vein’ marble)
Federal Bldg., St. Louis, Mo.
Municipal Auditorium, St. Louis, Mo.
Soldiers Memorial, St. Louis, Mo. (also ‘Golden Vein’ marble)
Post Office, St. Louis, Mo. (also ‘Golden vein’ marble)
Post Office, Newark, N. J.
Post Office, Rochester, N.Y. (also ‘Golden vein’ marble)
Post Office, Columbus, Ohio (also ‘Golden vein’ marble)
Post Office, Portland, Ore. (also ‘Golden vein’ marble)
Court House, Austin, Texas.
“‘Ste. Genevieve Golden Vein’ Marble
City Hall, Los Angeles, Calif.
Court House, Montreal, Quebec (Canada)
Post Office, Bridgeport, Conn.
Dept. of Commerce Bldg., Washington, D.C.
National Archives Bldg., Washington, D.C.
Bank of Hawaii, Honolulu, T.H.
Stevens Hotel, Chicago, Ill.
Abraham Lincoln Tomb, Springfield, Ill.
Post Office, Ames, Ia.
Veterans Hospital, Fort Knox, Ky.
Enoch Pratt Library, Baltimore, Md.
Fisher Bldg., Detroit, Mich.
Civil Courts Bldg., St. Louis, Mo.
Municipal Auditorium, St. Louis, Mo.
St. Louis Cathedral, St. Louis, Mo.
Municipal Bldg., Omaha, Nebr.
Post Office, Manchester, N.H.
Amer. Museum (So. Wing), New York, N.Y.
Rockefeller Center, Office Bldg. No. 10, New York, N.Y.
Parcel Post Bldg., Cincinnati, O.
Post Office, Cleveland, O.
Naval Hospital, Philadelphia, Penn.
Post Office and Court House, Chattanooga, Tenn.”
This web site indicates that the historical Ozora Marble Quarries are located in at Minnith, Saint Genevieve County, Missouri. (The latitude is given as 37.85, the longitude -90.06, and 460 feet in elevation.)
“Ozora Marble Quarry
“...I have been told that the Ozora Marble Quarry is accessible and very interesting to explore. Photos are impressive. However, in mid-2004, the only apparent access to the site that I found was a bridge over a creek barred by a wire rope and a ‘keep out’ sign. Therefore, I did not investigate further.
“Operations of the Ozora Marble Quarries Company began in 1920 and proceeded almost continuously until 1943 when the quarry was closed.
“Actually, there were two quarries, the South Quarry which exploited the 250’-thick Grand Tower Formation and the North Quarry which exploited the 100’-thick Little Saline Formation. The quarries are only about 200’ apart, and both formations are of Devonian-age. As with most quarries, the quarries began as surface operations, but subsequently extended underground ca 100’-125’ and 75’, respectively, into the hillside, following the best rock.
“Stone from the Ozora Marble Quarry has been used in the Department of Commerce Building and National Archives Building in Washington, DC, and many other buildings from Connecticut to Hawaii. In the National archives, the cases which hold the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are Golden Vein Marble from the Ozora County.”
“Palmyra.
“Two quarries have been opened in this vicinity which belong respectively to Wm. Martin and the city of Palmyra. The stone is essentially the same, consisting of flinty beds of limestone of Burlington Age.”
“This quarry is located near the northeast limits of the city and the stone is quaried (sic) entirely for macadam. The following is a description of the beds from top to botom (sic):
2-5 ft. - Red clay and chert stripping.
15 ft. - Buff to gray colored limestone, interstratified with layers of chert.
5 ft. - Gray and buff limestone. A prominent suture joint occurs near the top of this bed.
1 ft. 6 in. - Coarsely crystalline limestone, containing large chert nodules.
4-6 in. - Layer of white chert.
4 ft. - Very coarsely crystalline, fossiliferous limestone. Has a gray color near the bottom but changes to a buff near the surface. Sutures occur in the bed.
“The stone from this quarry might be used for most purposes for which Burlington limestone is now being quarried. The stone would make a good quality of quicklime and that from several of the upper beds might be used for foundations and other constructional purposes in which the chert nodules are not a serious detriment. The stone is rather soft for a road metal, but when mixed with flint, in proper proportions, ought to make a very durable pavement. The city owns a crusher and the quarry is only worked when stone is needed for improving the roads.”
“This quarry is located on the south bank of North river, about one and one-half miles north of the city. It was opened thirty to thirty-five years ago and has been worked intermittently ever since. The quarry has a face 200 feet long and 50 feet high. The following is a description of the beds from top to bottom:
10 ft. - Stripping.
25 ft. - Alternate beds of limestone and chert. The limestone has a gray color and is coarsely crystalline. The beds are from six to eighteen inches in thickness.
5 ft. - 2 in. - Gray, coarsely crystalline, fossiliferous limestone. Suture joints occur throughout the bed.
5 ft. - Coarsely crystalline, light gray limestone. Splits into two beds two feet and three feet in thickness. Chert nodules occur in the bed and along the upper bedding plane. Suture joints are numerous.
“The most prominent joints strike N. 50° E., N. 18° E. and N. and S.
“The limestone in the upper twenty-five feet is of good quality but is expensive to obtain owing to the necessity of removing the interstratified chert. The stone in the lower portion of the quarry occurs in heavier beds, which can be split into sizes convenient for handling. This is a very good quality of stone, suitable for most constructional purposes. In the lower bed it contains an occasional chert nodule and therefore must be carefully selected. The suture joints are so abundant that one cannot obtain a face which is free from them, without placing the stone on edge. It is thought that the stone is sufficiently strong to permit of this practice without danger. The flint and limestone spalls have been used for macadam, and when in proper proportions, are well suited for this purpose. Neither the flint nor limestone are desirable for macadam when used alone.
“This quarry is worked intermittently chiefly to supply the local market. It has been worked by inexperienced quarrymen and is at present in poor condition, the face badly shattered and the floor being cumbered with waste.”
“Achuff & Co. have moved their marble works from Moberly to Paris, Mo.”
“This quarry, which is owned by T. B. Gannaway, of Paris, is located north of the city, just north of the middle fork of Salt river. It is situated on a hillside and has a west face eighty feet long. The stone is limestone of Burlington age. The following is a description of the beds from top to bottom.
2-5 ft. - Broken stone and clay stripping.
8 in. - Light gray, coarsely crystalline limestone.
2 ft. - Very coarsely crystalline limestone, containing a small amount of iron oxide. A suture joint occurs six inches from the top of the bed. Chert nodules occur in the upper portion of the bed, being especially abundant near the north end.
2 ft. 8 in. - Light gray, coarsely crystalline, fossiliferous limestone. A small suture joint occurs near the middle of the bed. Contains small nodules of altered pyrites.
8 in. - Gray, medium grained, crystalline limestone, containing small nodules of pyrite and hematite.
“The joints are not very prominent and very little attention is paid to them in quarrying. They strike N. 50° E. and N. 25° W. The stone is easily quarried and very little blasting is necessary. Stone which is used for caps, sills or coursing, should be selected in order to avoid that which contains iron sulphide. The stone is very durable and can be used for all ordinary constructional purposes. It would make a very good grade of white limes.”
“On the north bank of the river there is an old quarry, which was opened ten or fifteen years ago, which is worked from two to six months each year as occasion demands. The stone has the same characteristics as that described (in the Gannaway limestone quarry), although the beds are somewhat thicker. The output is all consumed in and about Paris.”
“Achuff & Co. have moved their marble works from Moberly to Paris, Mo.”
“The public portions of Park University are open to visitors. Service entrances and facilities of the underground mines are visible from nearby roads.
“Park University, a four-year non-denominational Christian college, was founded in 1875.
“Interestingly, the College operates an underground crushed-limestone mine, and some of the facilities of the College are housed in mined-out portions....”
“The older portion of the mine (containing all of the space used by the college) is in the 20’ thick Argentine Limestone. About 150’ below the Argentine, the Bethany Falls Limestone (also about 20’ thick) is also being mined. Elsewhere in the Kansas City area, underground-former-mine-space is almost entirely in the Bethany Falls Limestone. In the mined areas, the rooms take up 78% of the square footage, with 22% left for pillars. Older rooms are 25’ wide, while more recently excavated rooms are 30’ wide between the pillars. The ceiling is roof-bolted. An impermeable shale layer above the limestone keeps the space dry (except for some lateral seepage near the edges). As the College is situated on a high bluff above the Missouri River, the upper mine may be entered by simple adits or drifts - making the use of the mined-out space convenient, and simplifying mining operations. The lower mine is accessed by an incline. The crushing plant, etc. is intentionally ‘hidden on the other side of the hill’, accessible from Coffee Rd. from SR 9. (commercial decline N39° 11.296’ W94° 40.716’)”
“This quarry, which is owned and operated by John and James Daniel, is located east of the Burlington railroad one mile above Parkville. It is situated at the top of one of the river bluffs and was opened in the spring of 1903. Up to this time, the company worked a quarry at the base of the bluff just north of the new quarry.
“The new one has a west face 200 feet long and twenty-two feet high. It has been worked into the hill about forty feet. The lowest bed is from twenty to twenty-four inches thick, and consists of finely crystalline, compact, dark gray limestone, containing thin veins of calcite. The bed is overlain with six inches of shale. Above the shale are six feet of badly decomposed shelly limestone. Above this is a twelve and one-half foot horizon of finely crystalline, bluish gray limestone occurring in beds from three to eight inches in thickness, separated from each other by thin layers of shale. When blasted, these beds break into pieces which require very little sledging before being fed into the crusher. Above these beds occurs a fourteen-inch layer of finely crystalline, blue limestone, which breaks into large rectangular blocks along jointing planes. This stone is suitable for coursing and well adapted for footing or heavy bridge abutments. It is the best stone observed in this vicinity. The quarry is covered with ten feet of soil and shale stripping. The major joints strike N. 35° E. and N. 30° W. and the beds dip slightly into the hill.
“This quarry is equipped with a No. 4 Gates crusher, a 25-horse power engine, a 30-horse power boiler, a bucket elevator and a screen. At present all of the stone from the quarry is broken in the crusher. It is separated into different sizes and carried by means of a long chute directly into the cars. Thirty men are employed at the plant and quarry. The output is used mainly for railroad ballast and concrete.”
In the “View Catalogs” section of this web site, you can view two catalogs: (1) Earthworks Veneer Catalog 2000 (pp. 64-65 includes photographs of their quarry and stone works) & (2) Landscape Photobook.
Pettis County, Missouri - the Johnson Quarry (historical quarry) (location) (from Brainy Geography)
Commercial use of material within this site is strictly prohibited. It is not to be captured, reworked, and placed inside another web site. © . All rights reserved. Peggy B. and George (Pat) Perazzo.
