Laserfiche WebLink
Introduction <br /> The white marble of Yule Creek was discovered in the 1880's and soon became known as one of the <br /> finest white marbles in the world. It was selected for the exterior of the Lincoln Memorial in 1916 <br /> and the Tomb of the Unknowns in 1936. The quarry closed in 1941 and remained a tourist destination <br /> until 1990, when it was re-opened by the new Colorado Yule Marble Company (CYMC). During <br /> the 1940's through 2007 the hike to the quarry had been a special experience for thousands of tourists <br /> each summer. The hike included a walk through a narrow gulch where Yule Creek cascades across <br /> brilliant white marble. The trail concluded at the entries to the Yule Quarry where the visitor could <br /> look down into the massive underground rooms excavated by early-20th-century miners. <br /> CYNIC failed in early 1999 and Sierra Minerals re-opened the quarry under new management and <br /> under a new permit(M-1999-058)issued with the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology(now <br /> Division of Reclamation,Mining,and Safety)effective on August 20, 1999.On April 26,2004,Sierra <br /> Minerals sold its interest to Colorado Stone Quarries, Inc.,which is the current operator. <br /> This application to convert the existing 1 IOc Permit to an 112c permit expands the current operation <br /> from the historic Washington Gallery (Yule Quarry) and newly established Lincoln Gallery to <br /> include the Jefferson Quarry and Franklin Quarry (historically known as the Smith Quarry). <br /> Additionally the historic mill site is included in the permit as a transload facility from the local truck <br /> haulage to over the highway trucks.With this expansion,the mine has been renamed as the"Pride of <br /> America Mine"to reflect its position as the preeminent white marble quarry in the United States and <br /> the inclusion of the new Lincoln Gallery, Jefferson Quarry, Franklin Quarry, and Historic <br /> Washington Gallery. <br /> Quarrying operations at the site utilize mechanical cutting techniques rather than drilling blasting. <br /> Similar techniques are utilized both underground in the galleries and outside in the quarries. Finished <br /> blocks are shipped to the historic millsite for transloading onto highway trucks. Waste marble either <br /> is utilized as blocks for erosion protection or is broken to create stable waste rock landforms. <br /> The final landuse for the site has been changed from wildlife habitat to a tourist mine. The site is <br /> historically important to the region and the operator wishes to all public viewing of the site during <br /> The Pride of America DRMS 112c i-3 12/23/15 <br />