Quarried in the usa
Quarried from inside a mountain at 10,000 feet above sea level, in a spectacular setting near Aspen Colorado.
A Quarry that dates back to 1873… a rich history and a True Treasure within the stone industry.
99.5% pure calcium carbonate with a grain structure that gives a smooth texture, a homogeneous look, and a luminous surface. Quarried Inside a mountain at 10,000 feet above sea level, in contrast to most marble, which is quarried from an open pit and at much lower elevations.
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YESTERDAY, TODAY, and MADE in the USA!
The Discovery
A world-class deposit of marble was discovered in a remote section of Colorado wilderness. The discovery was made at what would become known as the Crystal River Valley, one of Colorado’s most spectacular locations.
Marble Grows
The town of Marble (est. 1899) grew slowly until a railroad line was built to the town. A new finishing mill and 3.5 mile tramway that linked the mill and the quarry were also built, greatly improving the efficiency of the operation.
At its peak, the Colorado Yule Marble Company employed several hundred men at the enormous finishing mill, with a high percentage of them being skilled laborers from Italy. The quarry employed around 125 men.
Making History
The town of Marble peaked with around 1,500 residents. The town had two newspapers, three hotels, a movie theater, an ice cream parlor, and numerous other businesses. Some buildings in town featured marble foundations, certainly a very unique construction material for a frontier mining town.
Yule Marble has been used in many famous buildings and monuments in the United States and around the world, including the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Hearst Castle, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and numerous capital buildings, banks, and hotels.
WW1
By World War I, the market for marble collapsed and most of Marble’s Italian stone workers returned to conscription in the Italian army. Marble’s population dropped to 50 people.
saw the resumption of marble production, but on a much smaller scale.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
The most famous product of the Yule quarries was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, components of which were quarried in 1930 and 1931. The largest block, called the die, took three quarry attempts requiring 75 men working for a full year. The resulting block was 124 tons and had to be lifted by a heavily rigged and reinforced derrick, then transported over a period of 4 days down the mountain to the mill.
WW2
World War 2 signaled the end of marble production for over four decades. In 1942 the mill was disassembled and the railroad tracks removed. The town of Marble was reduced to just 30 people and in 1943 the post office closed.
Today
The Yule quarry was once again activated starting in 1988 and has operated intermittently since with at least four different owners during this time. An Italian company has operated the quarry since 2010 and is still active today.
