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Foundation Works 3

In 1930, however, the Yule-Colorado company was awarded the most prestigious marble contract of the time—that of the block for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. After two failed attempts to quarry a “perfect” block the third try succeeded. This was, at the time, the largest block of marble ever quarried in the world. It then took workers another 4 days to get this 56 ton block of marble down the mountain. The block was loaded onto a rail car and shipped to Vermont for cutting and then to Arlington Cemetery for carving, where it still resides today.

 

The Yule Marble quarry closed in 1941 as a result of declining demand and the entry of the United States into WWII. Much of the equipment and railroad was scrapped and used in the war effort. The population of Marble continued to decline…down to a population of 1 in the 1950s (schoolteacher Teresa Herman). But the beautiful valley did not remain a ghost town for long, attracting tourists, retirees and even a failed ski area development in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1990 the quarry was reopened. For a list of the buildings and monuments using Colorado-Yule marble, please click the following link: www.dfohgfddhojhdd

 

The story of Marble is closely connected to the marble quarry and finishing mill. A large part of that story is the far-sightedness and determination of those who pursued their dream and produced some of the most beautiful and meaningful monuments in the country that stand as an inspiration to all of us.

 

 

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Uploaded on October 16, 2017
Taken on September 4, 2017