The First Granite Quarry
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MNSearchers
N 45° 31.946 W 094° 05.814
15T E 414352 N 5042684
In the spring of 1868 the firm of Breen and Young opened the first commercial granite quarry in MN on the site of what is now the St. Cloud Reformatory.
Waymark Code: WM4G11
Location: Minnesota, United States
Date Posted: 08/19/2008
Views: 80
Their first order was for stone for the corners, steps and trimmings of the US Custom House and Post Office in St. Paul.
Nearly as old at the earth itself, granite is one of the strongest, most durable stones on the planet. The MN substantial ourcroppings of granite lie along the upper MN River valley near Ortonville and Redwood Falls. It is also found in the St. Cloud area of eastern Stearns County and adjacent parts of Benton and Sherburne counties. In the mid 1800's most of the commercial granite in the US came from New Hampshire and other rocky areas of the East. The market for granite was relatively small n the sparsely settled Midwest, and transportation costs made it difficult for MN companies to compete for work in faraway eastern cities. Many quarries failed but others survived as new uses for granite were developed. Prosperity came to the St. Cloud area quarries in the 1890's when monument work began to replace paving, bridge, and foundation blocks as their principal products.
The "busy, gritty, granite city," as St. Cloud came to call itself, continues to be a major supplier of granite. Prized now more for its beauty than its strength, granite quarried near here graces such state landmarks as the Capitol and the History Center in St. Paul.
Marker Type:: Other
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