The Colorado Stone Industry, 1908

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The Colorado Stone Industry, 1908

Excerpts from
Mineral Resources of the United States, Calendar Year 1908
Part II - Nonmetallic Products

Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey
Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1909.

Excerpts from the book are from the chapters on: 1) Slate, by A. T. Coons; and 2) Stone, by A. T. Coons.

Building Stone Distribution: Distribution of the various kinds of building stone and the localities where the different varieties of stone are now being quarried or may be quarried in the future for Colorado are Marble, limestone, granite, trappean and volcanic rocks, sandstone, quartzite, rhyolite tuff.

Slate: The slate production of the United States is practically confined to the northeastern part of the country, the scattered deposits other than in this section being not yet fully developed or not showing an equal commercial output. The localities of the principal deposits, either producing in commercial quantities or in a greater or less state of development, are given below by States. Almost all of these deposits are described in Bulletin No. 275 of the United States Geological Survey.

A deposit of slate near Marble, Gunnison County, has been reported to the Survey, and it is stated that steps are being taken toward the development of the deposit, with a view to putting the slate on the market.

Granite for monumental stone, curbstone, flagging, rubble, and crushed stone for road making increased slightly in value; but granite for paving blocks and for riprap showed considerable increase. Building stone decreased somewhat in value, and crushed stone for concrete and for railroad ballast showed a marked decrease.

Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington include some basalt and volcanic rock, and trappean rocks in their production; other States, notably Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, include some gneiss, trap rock, syenite, mica schist, diabase, etc.

Sandstone: New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, with total values, respectively, of $1,774,843, $1,368,784, and $1,244,752 in 1908, were the leading sandstone-producing States. In 1907 the rank and output of these States were, Pennsylvania, $2,064,913; New York, $1,978,117; and Ohio, $1,591,148. Each of these States showed a decrease for 1908 but New York exceeded Pennsylvania in value of output and ranked first. The next States in rank in 1908 were Washington, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin, with values of production ranging from $464,587 to $219,130; in 1907 the corresponding States were California, Minnesota, Colorado, Washington, and Massachusetts, with values ranging from $437,738 to $243,323. The greater number of sandstone-producing States showed a decreased value of output; but Washington and Arizona had a marked increase in value of output.

Ganister: Ganister reported from Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Colorado, Maryland, Ohio, and Illinois was valued at $175,325 in 1908 as against $308,520 in 1907, a decrease in 1908 of $133,195.

Marble: In 1908 the commercial output of marble was from Vermont, Georgia, Tennessee, New York, Massachusetts, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Maryland, California, Colorado, Alaska, North Carolina, Kentucky, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Idaho, with a quantity for Missouri included with limestone. In 1908 Colorado and North Carolina reentered as productive States, and Oklahoma and Washington dropped out. Vermont, Tennessee, and Georgia increased in value of output; the other States decreased.

The marble output in the United States was valued at $7,732,920 in 1908; in 1907 the output was valued at $7,837,685, a loss of $103,765 for 1908.

The chief uses of marble are for building stone, exterior and interior work, and for monumental purposes.

For the first time in several years Colorado reported a marble output. It was from Marble, Gunnison County, where after several years of development work the Colorado-Yule Marble Company and the Crystal River Marble Company have begun to put their material on the market. Development work was also reported in 1908 on a marble or onyx deposit near Salida, Chaffee County.

Onyx Marble: The onyx marble of the United States, except perhaps that of California and Arizona, is not considered as good as the Mexican article in color or in fineness of texture and is more expensive for the reason that labor is cheaper in Mexico and that in Mexico the quarries have been opened long enough to have transportation facilities. In most cases in the United States the onyx is found in territory which is but little developed and in which both labor and transportation are high, and the deposits are owned by firms and individuals who have not the means necessary to develop them. The principal deposits in the United States are in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Connecticut, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington."

Limestone: The chief States producing limestone in 1908 were, in order of rank of value, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, New York, and Missouri, each reporting over $2,000,000.States reporting a value of over $500,000 in 1908 were Wisconsin, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Iowa; in 1907 these States ranked as follows: Wisconsin, Kentucky, West Virginia, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Alabama, Iowa, and Colorado.

Limestone - Furnace flux: Next to crushed stone, limestone sold for furnace flux shows the largest value.The average price per ton was 53 cents in 1908 and 1907, and 47 cents in 1906. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Alabama, West Virginia, and Colorado were the principal states producing this class of stone. All the States show a decreased output, except California and Illinois.

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