


Finished Product from California Stone in California (Continued)
“1924 Bank of Italy, Sacramento”
“LOCAL NEWS. THE MONUMENTS. The plans for the monuments of the late Mr. Bell, of the Assembly, and the late Senator Ferguson, have been agreed upon by the legislature committee. The former is to be constructed by Messrs. Aitken & Luce, of J Street. It will be a composite of the Corinthian and Doric styles, and will be made of light blue-veined marble, obtained from Indian Diggings, El Dorado county, the late residence of Mr. Bell. The hight (sic) of the monument will be fourteen feet, and it will be surmounted by an Egyptian urn, surrounded by a laurel festoon. The die, the plinth and the column are of the Corinthian order, and the caps of the column and die are Doric. The base is to be of granite, four feet square and fifteen inches in thickness. From the ground to the top of the cap of the die, the hight (sic) is six feet and from thence to the top of the urn, eight feet. The die is to be two and a half feet by two feet and the column fourteen inches in diameter at the base and nine inches at the top. The diameter of the cap of the column will be one foot 2 inches, and the cap of the die 2 feet 1 inch. Upon the front of the die will be an inscription giving the name, age and birth place of the deceased, and on the reverse, ‘Erected by the State of California.’ A medallion, with the profile of the deceased will be placed upon another side, and the fourth side will be blank. The value of the monument will be $850, though it will be afforded at a somewhat less price….”
“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”
Sandstone from the O'Neal Sandstone Quarry (which was located about 8 miles south of Ione) was used in the construction of the California Bank Building in Sacramento. The sandstone is described as having a "warm, rich, bright red color, and even, rather fine grain."
"The Capitol's granite base has color variations because the stone initially used, excavated from a quarry near Folsom, was found to be too coarse. A new quarry was selected, though the granite was several shades lighter."
The above quote was taken from the following web site, although
it is no longer available.)
< http://www.tourvision.com/explore/capitol.html>
“1952 State Capitol Annex, Sacramento”
This article indicates that Sierra White granite, quarried at Raymond in Madera County, California, was used for the first floor façade.
According to this article, “Library and Courts I Renovation,” the Sierra White granite was used in the construction of the lobby.
According to this article, “The five-story exteriors are clad in Sierra white granite quarried by the McGilvrary-Raymond* Granite Company in Madera County and granitex architectural terra cotta manufactured by Gladding, McBean and Company of Lincoln, Placer County.” (* “McGilvrary” should be “McGilvray.”)
The McGilvray-Raymond Granite Company provided the granite for the construction of the California State Library, according to “The McGilvray Family History.”
The McGilvray-Raymond Granite Company provided the granite for the construction of the California State office building, according to “The McGilvray Family History.”
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Photographs of cobblestones in one of the streets at Old Sacramento, Sacramento, California (Photographs by Peggy B. Perazzo) |
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“1890 Crocker Vault, Sacramento”
“circa 1910 Mills Bank – Sacramento (included in Rocklin promotional brochure – museum archives)”
“W.I. Ferguson. Our attention was called today to the monument being constructed by Devine & Brother for the purpose of making the resting place of our late State Senator W. I. Ferguson. The monument will be made entirely of California marble quarried in Tuolumne County, and promises to be a piece of workmanship. It is thought that in about a month the monument will be placed in the City Cemetery.”
“LOCAL NEWS. FERGUSON’S MONUMENT. Workmen last evening completed the work of placing in the City Cemetery the monument erected by the State of California to the memory of the late William I. Ferguson, at the time of his death State Senator from the county of Sacramento. The ‘State Plot’ is in about the center of the Cemetery, and occupies the highest ground in the enclosure. Ferguson’s monument stands in the southeast corner of the plot and is a prominent object to a large extent of surrounding country. It is fit that something so beautiful a piece of workmanship, erected to the memory of a much lamented citizen and politician, should occupy the prominent position which it does. In the ‘State Plot’ repose the remains of Chief Justice Murray, Assemblyman Bell, Senator Ferguson and W.A. Magill. Marble monuments mark the spot where Murray, Bell and Ferguson are buried, but the shaft which delignates the grave of the latter towers six feet above the other two. The monument which we are about to describe is made of California marble, quarried from Devine & Grant’s quarry, near Columbia, in Tuolumne County. This marble is acknowledged to be a superior article - in fact, equal to any in the world. As soon as the quarry was discovered, which was but recently, its excellence was apparent, and Messr Devine & Bro, of this city, who had contract, declared that Ferguson’s monument should be made of it. The result may be seen at the City Cemetery and we think all who visit will agree with me that the artists have done themselves credit in the work. Ferguson’s monument stands on a brick foundation, which is level with the ground. From that the structure ascends in the following order: Granite base, one foot two inches thick, and four feet square; marble plinth and surbase of one piece, three feet high, and weighing 4,150 pounds. On the east side of the plinth is the word ‘Ferguson ’ in large raised letters. Over the surbase is the die, two feet six inches in hight (sic). On the east side of the die is an alto reliovo life-size bust of the deceased, the work of P.J. Devine who has been most successful in catching the features of the departed Senator. On the south side of the die is the inscription, ‘Erected by the State of California’ and of the west, ‘W.I. Ferguson, native of Washington Co. Pa., died September 14th, 1858, aged 33 years, 1 month and 5 days. State Senator, Sacramento County .’ On the north side the face of the die is blank. Just above is a neat cornice, one foot three inches high, and thence ascends the octagonal shaft eight feet in hight (sic), surmounted with a capital of Corinthian design. An urn with blazing torch, completes the whole, and gives a proper finish to what we conceive to be the most elegant and chaste monument yet erected in the State of California. At the top of the shaft the marble is a foot square, and the entire hight (sic) of the column is nineteen feet. The monument as it now stands, reflects credit on the State and credit on the sculptor and artisans engaged on the work. Visitors to the City Cemetery will hereafter acknowledge that we have not done the monument more than justice.”
“Within a week Frances commissioned a mausoleum to be his final resting place. Styled on Egyptian lines and to be built of huge blocks of granite hewn from the Crystal Lake Quarries in the Sierra, not far from Emigrant Gap, the mausoleum was to be located in the Pioneer Section of the Sacramento City Cemetery...The entire exterior of the mausoleum was to be enclosed in highly polished, rose-colored Rocky Mountain granite, brought from a point some fifteen miles from Fort Laramie (Wyoming).
“Work on the tomb began immediately, and was completed twenty months later. The central stone was inscribed: Mark Hopkins, Died March 29, 1878, Aged 64 years....”
Sacramento County, by W. L. Watts, Assistant in the Field.
Sandstone.
“A sandstone has of late been used for building purposes taken from a point about one mile above the wire bridge on the Cosumnes River in T. 8 N., R. 8 E. This quarry was opened by parties in an early day and the stone used for trimming the Court House in Sacramento, and for several other buildings in that city. About thirty-five years ago a house was built of it near the quarry, which is still in a state of good preservation.
“The formation appears to be a remnant of sedimentary rocks that are prominent in Amador County, the connection between the two through Sacramento having been eroded. Recently (circa 1890) this stone has been made use of in the construction of the building now occupied by the Post Office at Sacramento.”
Sacramento County, by W. L. Watts, Assistant in the Field.
Sandstone.
“A sandstone has of late been used for building purposes taken from a point about one mile above the wire bridge on the Cosumnes River in T. 8 N., R. 8 E. This quarry was opened by parties in an early day and the stone used for trimming the Court House in Sacramento, and for several other buildings in that city. About thirty-five years ago a house was built of it near the quarry, which is still in a state of good preservation.
“The formation appears to be a remnant of sedimentary rocks that are prominent in Amador County, the connection between the two through Sacramento having been eroded. Recently (circa 1890) this stone has been made use of in the construction of the building now occupied by the Post Office at Sacramento.”
“1909 County Courthouse, Sacramento”
“In September 1925, after twelve years of idleness, the John McGilvray Stone Company (sandstone quarry at Sites, Colusa County, California) did reopen, trucking stones weighing as much as eight and one half tons to the Southern Pacific tracks, Maxwell, for shipment to San Francisco. Ninety of these stones had been quarried and shaped and left on the quarry grounds. Operations were short lived. One of the stones was lost during shipment and was made into grave markers in the municipal cemetery in Sacramento by stone cutters in Rocklin, California.”
Sacramento County, by W. L. Watts, Assistant in the Field.
Sandstone.
“A sandstone has of late been used for building purposes taken from a point about one mile above the wire bridge on the Cosumnes River in T. 8 N., R. 8 E. This quarry was opened by parties in an early day and the stone used for trimming the Court House in Sacramento, and for several other buildings in that city. About thirty-five years ago a house was built of it near the quarry, which is still in a state of good preservation.
“The formation appears to be a remnant of sedimentary rocks that are prominent in Amador County, the connection between the two through Sacramento having been eroded. Recently (circa 1890) this stone has been made use of in the construction of the building now occupied by the Post Office at Sacramento.”
Sacramento, Sacramento County, California - the Sacramento Post Office Basement - 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
“P.S. - I have since made a contract to place $20,000 of the sandstone in the basement of the Government Building (Post Office) at Sacramento. David O’Neil.”
"Sandstone from the Eocene Ione Formation was quarried north of the Cosumnes River near Michigan Bar at an early date. The building stone from this deposit was used in construction in Sacramento, but production ceased before 1890." (The specific names of the buildings are not specified.)
“1919 State Building, Sacramento”
Sandstone quarried by the Colusa Sandstone Company Quarry east of Sites in Colusa County, California, was used in the construction of the Thomas Cluny building in Sacramento.
The Krim Hotel, which was a museum and public library circa 1948, "...was built in 1852 of dressed pieces of local gneissic granite and Calaveras schist."
According to this web site, both Scott and Montgomery Halls were built in 1894 from Bluestone and Colusa sandstone.* (* Colusa sandstone was quarried near Sites in Colusa County, California.)
The tawny-colored sandstone used in the construction of the Courthouse was quarried from the Chatsworth Park Quarry, which was located about 1 ½ miles west of Chatsworth, a station on the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Brownstone (sandstone) from the Sespen Canon Brownstone Quarry (located from 5 to 6 miles from Brownstone, a station on the Southern Pacific Railroad) was used for the trimmings of the Drew Block.
The tawny-colored, medium-grained sandstone taken from the Mentone Sandstone Company quarry was used in the construction of the Hall of Records in San Bernardino.
Brownstone (sandstone) from the Sespen Canon Brownstone Quarry (located from 5 to 6 miles from Brownstone, a station on the Southern Pacific Railroad) was used in the construction of the Highland Insane Asylum.
“At Temecula Station there was lying (November 10, 1889) a considerable quantity of dressed street paving blocks of a moderately coarse-grained, light-gray granite, which is stained more or less yellowish in places by oxide of iron.
“The rock seems to be hard and durable, and splits and dresses well. It has been used for paving-blocks in Los Angeles and San Diego, all for street curbing in both those cities, and also in San Francisco. The quarry from which it comes is situated in the foothills on the southwest edge of the valley, about half a mile southeasterly from the head of Temecula Cañon....”
According to this article, the three-story D. D. Dare mansion was built by William Hebbard in the Richardsonian Romanesque style using Sespe brownstone from Ventura County, California. The mansion was located at Fifth and Juniper. The mansion was completed in 1890 and is described as “…the only residence in Southern California up to that time made of this rich clouded brownstone” in the article.
In the footnote for this information, “The material for this residence came from the Sespe quarries in Ventura County. The same stone had been used in the construction of the Bryson-Bonsbrake block in Los Angeles as well as several other business buildings, but in no residence in Los Angeles or San Diego. The color of the stone was rich clouded brown with a little of the reddish tinge common to a great deal of building stone in this part of the country.” The Sespe sandstone was also used to construct a stable.
Brownstone (sandstone) from the Sespen Canon Brownstone Quarry (located from 5 to 6 miles from Brownstone, a station on the Southern Pacific Railroad) was used in the construction of the Gay residence. (No specific address is given for this home.)
| “Junipero Serra. Arthur Putnam, Sc.” (left) “Robert Burns Monument. M. Earl Cummings, Sc.” (middle) “A Restored Venus. Golden Gate Park.” (right) | ![]() |
Sculpture and Monument News of San Francisco
“...The second of a series of portrait sculptures embodying the early history of California has lately been completed by Sculptor Arthur Putnam, and the bronze cast was recently exhibited in the Studio building. It is a noble and impressive figure of the priest, Father Junipero Serra, whose name all California loves and honors. He stands with bent head and sandaled feet, his brown robe cast loosely about him, confined only by its knotted girdle; the nailed limbs of the Jesu pictured on the cross hanging at his side. The modeling of the tall, gaunt body calls for keen appreciation. Powerful in limb and in pose, the impenetrable countenance, half concealed, wears an expression of deep gentleness and solemnity. The man looks through the priest, despite the attitude of contemplative humility, and the modeling of the head, the dignity, strength and repression which stamp the features have been accorded much praise. The figure itself is eight feet high. It will be mounted on a pedestal of brick taken from the old Mission in San Diego, Cal. The pedestal will be about 7 ft. high and 10 ft. square. The statue will stand on the site of the first mission built near San Diego. The ground was purchased by residents of San Diego and the statue which cost $5,000 donated by Mr. E. W. Scripps.”
(pp. 173)
“Additional crystalline limestone occurs on San Ysidro Mountain, in the northeast part of the county. These deposits include the Verruga, which was worked from 1921 to 1923 for building and monument stone, and the Sentenac, which is undeveloped (Fig. 39). The White Peak property, which encloses part of the Verruga Deposit, was worked briefly in the 1940’s and 1950’s for roofing granules.”
(pp. 181)
“The Verruga Deposit was first worked from 1921 to 1923 when the Verruga Marble Company, of San Diego, quarried limestone from it for use as building stone, finished stone (or marble) produced by the company was used in the construction of several buildings in San Diego, for the Lee Highway Milestone opposite the U.S. Grant Hotel, also in San Diego. The quarried stone was cut and polished on the property. The operation ceased reportedly because transportation costs of $8 per ton from the quarry to the railroad at Lakeside proved too high (Tucker, 1925, p. 372)….”
According to this article, “The milestone which marks the Pacific terminum of the Lee highway is a solid piece of San Diego county marble, donated by the Veruga Marble company*. It is located in the plaza to the east of the fountain and bears on its east face the shield of the Lee highway and the designation as the Pacific end of the highway, which starts at Washington, D. C.” *“The Verruga Marble company mined marble just northwest of Ranchita.”
(pp. 37)
“The construction of the railroad enabled a new phase of the mining industry to begin in the county – large-scale quarrying of stone. In 1888 the Simpson-Pirnie Company opened a quarry adjacent to the railroad south of Lakeside, and was to operate it until 1932. The company quarried blocks of granite which were transported by rail to the company yard in San Diego where they could be processed and distributed for sale as riprap and rubble, later as paving blocks, and beginning in 1898, as polished monument and building stone. In 1894, stone quarried from the Waterman Deposit at Foster was used to construct the jetty at the entrance to San Diego Bay. By 1900 several other dimension stone producers had begun to operate in the Foster-Lakeside area.”
(pp. 233)
Riprap
“In 1957, nearly 250,000 tons of riprap, valued at almost $1,000,000, was produced in San Diego County (San Diego County Division of Natural Resources, 1957, p. 20). During that year at least 95 percent of the stone produced was used in the Mission Bay Park Project to construct jetties and to cap or line the sides of man-made islands.
“Fragment size and classification of stone used for riprap generally are different for each job. Classes A and B stone used for shore facing in the Mission Bay Park Project range in size as follows: Class A, 1 pound to 1 ½ tons; Class B, 1 pound to 3 tons; with specified percentages of sizes within the general classes. Blocks to face the Mission Park jetty ranged from 7 to 20 tons; the core of the jetty was constructed of quarry-run material, with the largest pieces as heavy as five tons.
“During the 1950’s, riprap also was used in San Diego County in construction of the 10th Avenue mole pier; the San Diego River Flood Control Project; Sutherland Dam north of Ramona; and in naval seafront projects. In 1957, J. R. Stringfellow Company, of Riverside, was the principal producer of riprap in the county.”
“In the past, large quantities of riprap have been used in construction of dams and for waterfront projects. Included with these are the Sweetwater Dam, 1887; El Capitan Dam, 1933-35; and the San Diego breakwater, 1894. For the breakwater, A. F. Babcock obtained riprap from a deposit of granite rocks near Foster. The Simpson-Pirnie Company, which was active from 1887 to 1932, produced riprap and rubble as well as dimension stone (it is described in the section on ‘Dimension Stone’)….”
San Diego, San Diego County, California – the San Francisco City Hall Dome, San Francisco Call, Vol. 82, No. 39, July 9, 1897, pp. 16.
“The Completed Dome. A Concert will be given on Monday night in its honor – Endeavorers Invited.”
“Preparations for the grand concert, which will be given on Monday night by the constructors who have put the finishing touches on the dome of the new City Hall, are completed….”
“The interior, by suggestion of New York Hall Commissioners Harry T. Creswell and William Broderick, is designed as an exemplification of the value of California marble for decorative purposes. The largest quantity ever used in any building has been applied to the wainscoting of the walls. The main floor of the rotunda is travertine, the second floor is the green San Diego County marble and the third gallery is done in cream colored Inyo Marble.
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View of the front of Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá |
View of the San Diego Mission Bell Tower/Campanario
from one of |
According to the Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala official web |
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Stone floor inside the San Diego Mission Chapel entrance |
Indian implement display, |
Discoidal Stones |
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Grindstones in the San Diego Mission Garden |
Mortar & Pestal on display at the San Diego Mission |
Mortar stones displayed near the San Diego Mission excavation project |
“The (War Memorial) monument is a three-sided reinforced concrete monolith faced with Sierra White granite (quarried at Raymond in Madera County, California) standing 25 feet high. The sleek column, its broken and jagged top symbolizing untimely death, was designed by former SDSU art professor Jesus Dominguez. All three sides are etched with 217 names of former San Diego State students lost in service to their country during military conflicts: World War II, Korea, and Vietnam….”
According to The Structural and Industrial Materials of California, Bulletin No. 38 (California, State Mining Bureau, San Francisco, California, 1906), the granite used in the construction of the Sweetwater Dam was taken from the Sweetwater Dam Quarry, which was located "some miles southwest of San Diego, and the product was used entirely in the construction of the reservoir dam."
“In the past, large quantities of riprap have been used in construction of dams and for waterfront projects. Included with these are the Sweetwater Dam, 1887; El Capitan Dam, 1933-35; and the San Diego breakwater, 1894. For the breakwater, A. F. Babcock obtained riprap from a deposit of granite rocks near Foster. The Simpson-Pirnie Company, which was active from 1887 to 1932, produced riprap and rubble as well as dimension stone (it is described in the section on ‘Dimension Stone’)….”
Riprap
“In 1957, nearly 250,000 tons of riprap, valued at almost $1,000,000, was produced in San Diego County (San Diego County Division of Natural Resources, 1957, p. 20). During that year at least 95 percent of the stone produced was used in the Mission Bay Park Project to construct jetties and to cap or line the sides of man-made islands….”
“During the 1950’s, riprap also was used in San Diego County in construction of the 10th Avenue mole pier; the San Diego River Flood Control Project; Sutherland Dam north of Ramona; and in naval seafront projects. In 1957, J. R. Stringfellow Company, of Riverside, was the principal producer of riprap in the county.”
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.