Cowell Cement Company Smokestack, Concord
Posted by: 
HanSohn
N 37° 57.003 W 121° 59.286
10S E 588903 N 4200755
A familiar Smokestack in the Concord Area
Waymark Code: WM4J1
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 12/05/2005
Views: 100
The sight is a familiar one. It is a tall smokestack in an area that in past years was called Cowell but which is now part of Concord.
This was the site of the Cowell Lime and Cement Company that produced portland cement from 1905 to 1946. The cement plant was one of the largest employers in the area in the early 1900's. Through the years farmers threatened to sue the Cowell plant over the air pollution which coated their vines and orchards with fine cement dust. The cement company built a 235-foot-high smokestack in 1934 in an effort to dissipate the dust into the atmosphere. Labor problems forced the plant to close in 1946.
Instead of destroying the smokestack, at some point it was decided to highlight it, capping the top and refinishing the outside. It is also used as a navigation sight and you can often see planes circling the stack, waiting for clearance to land at Buchanan Field.
Unfortunately, in the recent past it is showing signs of deterioration and the community is in the process of deciding to restore or remove.
In this process the cap has been removed and is lying on the ground adjacent to the stack...and on top are three speaker/sirens that would've been used to warn the public of impending danger.
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