Blue Mountain Minerals History
The land on which Blue Mountain Minerals is situated has a long tradition of mining activity. It first began to attract gold prospectors in the spring of 1850 following the opening of placer mines at nearby Columbia in late March of that year. While the area was not as productive for placer gold as was the Columbia basin to the south, the gravel deposits, overlaying limestone bedrock, still drew a great deal of attention during the years from 1850 to 1858.
The limestone and marble quarrying industry of Tuolumne County probably dates back to the early 1850’s. An early example of this mining was the contribution of a marble block to the monument honoring George Washington. A block of marble four feet long, two feet wide and eight inches think was cut and adorned with quartz gold specimens. At Columbia’s 1857 Fourth of July parade the finished Washington Monument block was given a place of honor and then exhibited at the California State Fair held in Stockton before it was en route to Washington D.C. The block’s trip was interrupted when the clipper ship, named the Flying Dutchman, that was carrying it sank. In 1860, a salvage firm raised the ship’s cargo and the marble block was sent on to the monument committee. However, for some unknown reason, it was rumored not to have been incorporated into the obelisk.
On March 9, 1861, The Tuolumne Courier revealed the discovery of a new marble outcropping. This is the deposit currently being mined by Blue Mountain Minerals. One observer visited the quarry and expressed the belief that there was enough marble to supply the whole Union with marble for every purpose for ages to come. In 1862, the new quarry commenced operations. The quarry was in continuous operation until 1887 when the water wheel broke and was not repaired. All production ceased.
In 1891, The Columbia Marble Company was formed. Its business increased substantially after the 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco. The local marble quarry provided much-needed marble to help the immense amount of reconstruction required in the Bay Area.
1928 marked the last “good year” for marble production at the quarry. In 1929 the Great Depression and its effects soon began to be reflected by a lack of orders. However, business went on sporadically. In 1942, the property was deeded to the United States Lime Corporation.
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Historic photos from the California Mother Lode