Sandstone Calgary and Bow Bank Quarries - Calgary, Alberta
Posted by: 
wildwoodke
N 51° 03.687 W 114° 09.393
11U E 699242 N 5660505
This sign, at the base of the road from the upper valley to the bottom of the Bow River valley, marks an important element in the shift in construction materials used after a devastating fire in 1886 destroyed 14 buildings in Calgary, Alberta.
Waymark Code: WMDE88
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 01/01/2012
Views: 7
Edworthy Park is where this sign is found. Near this location the Edworthy family operated a sandstone quarry that shipped this important building material into Calgary eight kilometres to the east.
Text from the sign:
"When Tom Edworthy arrived in 1883, the town of Calgary, eight kilometres (5 miles) to the east, was built from wood. In 1886 a devastating fire destroyed 14 buildings. The small town passed a bylaw requiring buildings to be built from sandstone and other fire proof materials. Fortunately for Edworthy, his ranch had an abundant supply of Porcupine Hills Formation sandstone.
Edworthy's Bow Bank Quarries operated four sandstone quarries. You are standing on the "floor" of the largest Bow Bank Quarry. You may see drill scars left when sandstone boulders were separated from the rock face. Three derricks were used to slide buckets of sandstone along cables to wagon carts for the trip down Coulee Road to railway cars waiting to go to market.
Bow bank sandstone was used to complete the Alberta Legislature building in Edmonton, and to build Calgary's City Hall and Vancouver's CPR building. The Norman, Clarence and Lougheed Block buildings on Stephen Avenue in downtown Calgary and several Calgary schools were also built of sandstone from this historic quarry."
Type of Marker: Cultural
Sign Age: Other
Parking: There is a nearby parking lot
Placement agency: City of Calgary
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