WorldWide Drilling Resource

Alaska Miners Association Phone: 907-563-9229 Fax: 907-563-9225 ama@alaskaminers.org www.alaskaminers.org ELKO / Mining Expo Phone: 775-738-4091 Fax: 775-738-2420 jennifer@elkocva.com www.exploreelko.com WorldWide Drilling Resource ® is proud to be a member of these mining associations. Northwest Mining Association Phone: 509-624-1158 Fax: 509-623-1241 nwma_info@nwma.org Women in Mining 866-537-9694 wim@womeninmining.org 53 SEPTEMBER 2013 Columbia California’s Marble Quarry by Harry W. Short Engineering Geologist Most people think of the "Sierra Mother Lode" in terms of gold or other precious metals. However, in the 1800s, several marble quarries were developed around the small town of Columbia, California. The original quarry area, Columbia Marble Works, began operations in the 1850s. Located north of Columbia at the end of Yankee Hill Road, overlook- ing the Stanislaus River, it is no longer active, but produced marble for numer- ous years. The quarry, a short walk from down- town Columbia, became operational in December 1918 and survived until the great depression destroyed the marble market. Now privately owned, it has been developed into a campground named the Marble Quarry RV Park. It's the only historically intact quarry in the area. The tower and buildings were removed from the Bell Quarry at the beginning of World War II. A large cement pyramid on which the tower and "dead arm" stood, and the twisted remains of a tower that fell killing two miners can be seen in the rocks and brush near the quarry. To prevent shattering, explosives could not be used to mine the marble. In the early years, a series of vertical holes were hand drilled along a line to a predetermined depth. Two pieces of iron called "feathers" were placed on the top and bottom of the hole. Next, a long, tapered spike called a "wedge" was driven by sledgehammer into each hole. The miners hit the wedges at about one hour intervals until the marble blocks split along the line of the holes. Two men, turning a hand-cranked winch at the tower base, lifted a boom or "dead arm" as it was called by the miners. Strong cable from the dead arm was wrapped around the heavy blocks of marble. The tower rotated and swung from the quarry face to remove the huge blocks for loading. The marble blocks were hauled to Sonora by horse teams or steam engines and shipped by rail to San Francisco for slabbing and polishing. The Palace Hotel, Wells Fargo building, and the San Francisco Post Office are walled and floored with Columbia Marble. The lobby floor of the Sonora Inn, the sidewalk in front of the Courthouse, and a short stretch of sidewalk near the Columbia Post Office Park are con- structed of Columbia Marble. The Bank of Stockton lobby, completed in 1908, contains matching marble floor slabs from the Columbia Quarry. In addition, finished Columbia marble slabs were used in the Washington Monument and for tombstones in the Mother Lode coun- try. Columbia is about three miles north of Sonora. Take State Highway 49 to the historic town of Columbia. Go to the Marble Quarry RV Park to see the quarry and ask for Ralph Squire. Tell him you read Harry Short’s article. He will show you around and tell you many wild tales about caving, dowsing, the cave he’s been searching for, and the local history. Harry Harry Short may be contacted via e-mail at admin@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Miners cabin in the tilted and jointed marble. The Quarry Face. Short trans. cont’d on page 54. WorldWide Drilling Resource ®