Yule Marble

thumbnail|[[Lincoln Memorial: exterior is all Yule marble]]

thumb|The [[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Arlington)|Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington is Yule marble]]

Yule Marble is a marble of metamorphosed Leadville Limestone found only in the Yule Creek Valley, in the West Elk Mountains of Colorado, southeast of the town of Marble, Colorado. First discovered in 1873, it is quarried underground at an elevation of above sea level—in contrast to most marble, which is quarried from an open pit and at much lower elevations.

Yule's quality comes at a high price due to the cost of quarrying in a high-altitude mountain environment. This challenge has caused the industry and the town of Marble to undergo many boom-and-bust periods since quarrying started in the mid-1880s, making the town emblematic of the economic fluctuations that beset a single-industry economy. Technology advancements in quarrying machinery and transportation have reduced, but not solved, the cost problem that afflicts the operation through the present.

In evaluating the marble cross-section, the United States Geological Survey found the marble is bounded above and below by unconformities. This lack of conformable contact resulted in the early dating of the limestone as Silurian rather than the currently accepted Mississippian. The lack of conformable boundaries in exposures along the Treasure Mountain dome explains the variation in reported thicknesses in the quarry area west of Yule Creek of about southeast of the quarry. The overlying Pennsylvanian Molas Formation was an argillite unit which was converted to hornfels and quartzite. Stratigraphically below the Leadville, the chert bearing Devonian Dyer Dolomite Member of the Chaffee Formation was altered by the metamorphism to impure silica-rich marble and occasional serpentine-bearing marble. of Mississippian age deposited 350 million to 324 million years ago. The Leadville within the Yule area was transformed by contact metamorphism that occurred during the latest Eocene and Oligocene epochs (34 to 28 million years ago) associated with the intrusion and uplift of the nearby granitic Treasure Mountain Dome. The uplift of the Treasure Mountain Dome tilted the limestone away from the intrusion resulting in the marble bed dipping at an angle into the mountain. The marble unit along with older and younger adjacent units in the Yule Valley have a north-northwest strike paralleling the valley and variable dips of 35 to 50 degrees to the west-southwest. This local contact with the heat and pressure from the intrusion of hot granitic magma recrystallized the Leadville Limestone into a distinctive white marble. Although the Leadville Limestone covered hundreds of square miles and was the ore host at the Leadville mining district, the Yule Creek Valley is the only known location of marble in the region. When the magma cooled, it crystallized into granite.

This local geological activity resulted in a type of marble that is 99.5% pure calcite, with trace amounts of non-calcite inclusions (mainly quartz), and has a density of . The non-calcite inclusions were caused through penetrations along the seams created by the dome uplift rather than through metamorphic contact with the uplifted dome. Though marble is on both sides of the creek, the only visible marble is the seam of the present-day quarry on the west side of Yule Creek.

Timeline

Development of Yule Marble is put into context with Colorado geology by showing the passage of time from earliest rock units to the present with "Ga" = billions of years ago and "Ma" = millions of years ago.

{| class="wikitable"

! Start !! End !! Geologic activity

| 350Ma || 324Ma || Leadville Limestone formed in a shallow, warm sea that covered Central Colorado through the accumulation of calcite from the remains of marine life. Today that limestone, which became Yule Marble, is above sea level.

| 300Ma || 248Ma || Ancestral Rockies start and eroded away. The town of Marble was located at the edge of the Ancestral Rockies. Limestone was stripped away by erosion leaving the rest buried until 72 million years ago.

| 248Ma || 70Ma || Area was a flat coastal plain over which dinosaurs roamed and during the later part was covered by another shallow sea.

| 72Ma || 40Ma || 1st of 3 uplifts (Laramide orogeny) of present-day Rockies but partially erodes.

| 34Ma || 28Ma || 2nd of 3 uplifts of the present-day Rockies. Volcanic activity with magma intrusions pushing up from below crystallized the limestone into marble. When the magma cooled it crystallized turning into granite. The upward push of the magma against the limestone resulted in the marble being tilted upward and way from the intrusion, creating the 7-mile diameter Treasure Mountain Dome. The town of Marble lies at the edge of the dome.

| 25Ma || 5Ma || Colorado Mineral Belt forms

| 10Ma || Present || 3rd of 3 uplifts of the Rockies – Colorado

Characteristics

thumb|Backscattered electron image of Yule Marble grains

It is the grain of Yule Marble that gives an appearance of smooth texture, a homogeneous look, and a luminous surface that polishes well. These qualities are why it has been chosen for a number of major national and state landmarks, most notably the Lincoln Memorial. Because of its aesthetic value, architect Henry Bacon successfully urged that it be used to clad the whole exterior of the Memorial, even though it was the most expensive material.

The overall configuration of the grain is small, irregularly shaped, generally equidimensional to slightly elongated with irregular edges and does not vary significantly among the different grades (in 1992). The edges of the calcite grains are deeply crenulated (irregularly and minutely notched and scalloped). Grain sizes range primarily from 0.1 mm (0.00393 in) to 0.6 mm (0.0236 in), as determined by scanning electron microscope images. There are 2,000–3,000 grains to the square centimeter (0.1550 square inches). Where the marble is in direct contact with the intrusive granite, the most consistent change in the marble is that it becomes extremely coarse-grained, with the grain size in the contact zone being 10 mm to 20 mm (0.3937–0.7874 inches). The grains in turn are tightly bonded in the shape of a jigsaw puzzle, forming crystals which are aligned so that the long axes of the grains are essentially perpendicular to the principal veining in the deposit. from the west coast (Seattle south to Los Angeles) to the east coast, including the Equitable Building skyscraper in New York City. The dimension of the deposit enables large blocks to be quarried, which is why Yule Marble was selected for the Tomb of the Unknowns (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) in Arlington National Cemetery. In 1931, the 56-ton (55.86 metric ton) block for the die section (on which six wreaths, three Greek figures, and the inscription were carved) was the largest single piece of marble ever quarried at that time. Today, the marble is primarily shipped to Italy to supply fabricators throughout Europe. Blocks also go to Saudi Arabia, Peru, and other developing international markets. Finished marble is used for tile and slabs (walls, countertops, etc.).

As the marble industry cycled, the town's economy, being based on a single industry, also fluctuated. At the same time, had Marble not made the transition from its origins as a mining town to quarrying Yule Marble, the town would have died, as did other Colorado mining towns such as nearby Crystal and Schofield. of the Colorado General Assembly, who in turn passed a bill that was signed by Governor Bill Owens (R).

Discovered: 1873 to mid-1880s

Yule Marble was discovered in the Crystal River Valley in the spring of 1873 by geologist Sylvester Richardson. George Yule (for whom the marble was later named) was the prospector who "rediscovered" the marble in 1874. In the same year, an unknown person took some marble—from which polished samples were made—and appeared in Denver but failed to generate interest. The marble became lost again, and was rediscovered 10 years later, yet again by accident. By this time, prospectors were digging into Whitehouse Mountain for silver and gold when they encountered the Treasure Mountain Dome and thick marble. This time a transition started that moved the town away from mining to one of quarrying marble, although some locals were still involved with mining in 1910. The transition enabled the town to survive while nearby towns such as Crystal and Schofield became ghost towns. The town was still a one-industry economy, and its future followed that of the marble operation. purchasing the marble deposits of the Marble City Quarry Company on 28 February 1905. He in turn sold the deposits to the newly formed CYMC on 11 April 1905 and subsequently became the CYMC president. The marble deposit that became the quarry of the CYMC was acquired on 14 November 1905 from Osgood. (Osgood never quarried the marble because of financial problems.) Because the three remaining quarries had no more production to speak of this leaves only the quarry started by the CYMC in 1905.

Primary quarry: 1905 to today

thumb|1907: Looking east at the CYMC quarry, west side of Yule Creek. Visible is the marble vein over one mile (1.6 km) wide with thickness of 169 to .

thumb|1906: Looking north through the Yule Creek Valley leading down to Marble (out of view) below. Left is Quarry 2 in the mountain side. Far right-below is Yule Creek at approx. below the bottom of Quarry 2.

When the Colorado-Yule Marble Company (CYMC) arrived in Marble in 1905 they developed the last Yule Marble quarry, which is still in production today. The operation showed the unrealized promise of the previous 20 years with a 10-year boom in which marble was shipped to the east and west coasts with contracts reaching one million dollars. The marble boom also resulted in one for the town of Marble. While the CYMC overcame some quarry problems of the previous 20 years, other difficulties ultimately led to their bankruptcy in April 1917. Subsequent operations from 1922 through 1941 were on a much smaller scale with several different operators and dramatic fluctuations in quarrying until the next bust at the end of 1941 After almost 50 years the quarry reopened in September 1990. The 1905 problems of transporting marble out of the town have been largely solved (by road and trucks) but the high costs of working in a mountain environment still exist today, and there have been several operator changes with the last one in 2010.

Residence location showed only a few of the workers lived in Marble; the 1910 census recorded 14 quarry employees there, and the rest lived in Quarry Town. Built by the CYMC, Quarry Town came into existence shortly after November 1908 as a settlement of bunkhouses and shacks just to the west and north of Quarry 1. It was built to alleviate a housing shortage caused by hiring more workers for the first large CYMC contract, the Cuyahoga County Court House, in Cleveland, Ohio. Though intended for single men, the 1910 census recorded 66 residents of which 44 were men, 9 were women, and 13 were children. In the winter time, Quarry Town folk would ski down to Marble then return by holding onto an electric tram going up to the quarry (an early Colorado ski lift). Quarry Town was abandoned after the quarry closed in 1941 and today only a few scraps remain located behind the quarry fence.

Bootlegging started when Marble went dry after alcohol prohibition was passed by the voters on 3 December 1908. Prohibition was backed by the company because drunkenness was affecting the operation. Prohibition left workers in Quarry Town and folks in Marble without a close liquor supply (the town of Redstone was away). For those purchasing liquor from a bootlegger there were no legal worries for the law only made it illegal to sell or give away liquor; it was not illegal to purchase alcohol.

Lincoln Memorial: March 1914 to June 1916

thumb|April 1914 – June 1916:marble blocks for Lincoln Memorial column sections (aka drums) at x x weighing 26.25 tons (26.18 metric tons) each. The man on the left is Henry Johnson, the photographer for the Colorado-Yule Marble Company.

Selecting the marble for the exterior was a competitive process with five samples submitted to the Lincoln Memorial Commission for consideration; three from Georgia (Cherokee, Southern and Amicalola), one from Vermont (Dorset White) and Yule marble. Of the samples, Memorial architect Henry Bacon wanted to use Yule marble in spite of its higher cost because the stones "whiteness and delicate veining" placed it "above any white building marble in appearance that I have seen here or abroad". The Memorial commission voted to award the marble contract for Yule marble on 26 September 1913 but the matter was not settled. Other bidders raised objections about Yule quality, ability to quarry the needed quantity and its durability. Colonel W. W. Harts, the US Army Engineer Officer in charge of Public Grounds and overseer of the project, commissioned geologist George Perkins Merrill to make a determination. After visiting the quarry, Merrill concluded Yule marble met the needed requirements. Yet Secretary of War Lindsley Garrison called for testing by Bureau of Standards which gave a positive report on the use of Yule marble. He also sent a 17 January 1914 letter to United States Commission of Fine Arts about the use of Yule marble, and a reply was sent five days later that compared to the other marbles submitted for consideration Yule "fit pre-eminently for a structure of the character of the Lincoln Memorial". The contract for Yule marble was awarded 14 March 1914.

{| class="wikitable"

! Level!! Length !! Width !! Height !! Cubic area!! Tons

| Cap|| 12'-5.4" (3.794 m)|| 6'-6.7" (1.998 m)|| 1'-3.3" (0.388 m)|| || 8.56 (8.538 metric)

| Die (quarried)

Today only a few people of the 110 or so full-time Marble residents make up the 15–20 quarry employees. The town does receive a monthly rent from the quarry company to use part of the old mill site grounds (West 3rd Street and the Crystal River) to store quarried blocks until they are shipped to customers.

While ANC was studying the situation, a donated replacement block was provided by George Haines, a retired entrepreneur and car dealer in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. In September 2002, he read that the quarry crew "was getting ready to look for and replace the tomb's marble and that the (Veterans Administration) and Arlington were accepting bids on the replacement piece." With that he decided to pay the $31,000 for the replacement block. Arlington National Cemetery Superintendent John Metzler requested a letter on the donation and was sent one. Mr Haines also arranged for free transportation to Arlington National Cemetery. In 2003 a prospective block was found and quarrying began. To record the activity, Ron Bailey photographed the event. When the block came free from the mountain, imperfections were found so the block was rejected. The heart of the block was used for a statue of President George H. W. Bush. Another search started with a flawless block quarried and brought down to the storage area in Marble in 2005. Since 2005, the block has remained on the same yellow flatbed trailer in the north-west corner of the storage yard due to replacement opposition.

Opposition to replacing the block had been growing and included such groups as the National Trust for Historic Preservation. On 26 September 2007, the Senate passed the Akaka-Webb amendment to prohibit replacing the cracked Tomb marble. On 26 June 2009, the Army and ANC announced the Tomb would be repaired. The repairs of April 2010 failed after two months and were redone in September 2011. A 21 October 2011 inspection by the Army Corps of Engineers and other experts pronounced the repairs successful.

Quarry access

Because it is a working mine, casual visitors are not permitted. Marble pieces are available for purchase, however.

Structures with Yule marble

A partial list of structures containing Yule marble, 1905 to 1941, from the quarry started by the Colorado-Yule Marble Company. The Colorado state capitol was an 1895 contract with the quarry of John Osgood. The dollar amount after a building name is the amount of marble. Marble ranged from a single item (such as the baptism font now in the Episcopal church in Glenwood Springs, Colorado) to entire exteriors.

{| class="wikitable"

! State !! Location !! Structure !! Image !! Year !! Notes

| Arizona || Kingman|| Mohave County Court House || 90px || ||

| || Phoenix|| Adam's Hotel || || ||Cost of marble: $2,500

| Arkansas|| Hot Springs|| Rammelsburg Bathhouse || || ||Cost of marble: $9,500

| || Little Rock|| Arkansas State Capitol Building || 90px || ||

| California|| Los Angeles|| Los Angeles Athletic Club || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $4,800

| || || Bankers Trust Building || || ||Cost of marble: $200,000

| || || Builder Home Association Building || || ||

| || || Citizen's National Bank || || ||

| || || Los Angeles County Fair || || ||

| || || Herald Examiner Building || 90px || ||

| || || Fidelity Building || || ||

| || || Goodfellow Office Building || || ||

| || || Hellman National Bank || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $6,000

| || || Merchants Fireproof Building || || ||

| || || Merchants National Bank ||90px || ||

| || || Merritt Building || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $50,000

| || || Pan-American Building || || ||

| || || Judson D. River residence (fireplace mantel) || || ||

| || || Trinity Auditorium || 90px || ||

| || Oakland || Tribune Tower || 90px || ||

| || Pasadena|| Forest Lawn Chapel & Crematory || || ||Cost of marble: $10,000

| || || Huntington Memorial Hospital ---->

| || || Cheesman Memorial || 90 px|| ||

| || || City and County Building || 90px || ||

| || || Colorado National Bank || || ||Cost of marble: $85,000

| || || Colorado State Capitol Building || 90px || ||Marble from Osgood Quarry

| || || Colorado State Museum || 90px|| ||Cost of marble: $118,200

| || || Daniels & Fisher Tower || 90px || ||

| || || Denver Gas & Electric || 90px || ||

| || || Denver Post Office || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $533,000

| || || Empire Building || || ||

| || || Federal Reserve Bank || || ||

| || || Fitzsimmons Army Hospital || 90px || ||

| || || Foster Building || || ||Cost of marble: $20,000

| || || Hamilton National Bank || || ||Cost of marble: $20,000

| || || Immaculate Conception Cathedral || 90px || ||

| || || Metropolitan Building || || ||

| || || New Customs House || 90px || ||

| || || Old Customs House || || ||

| || || Pioneer Building || || ||

| || || Saint James Hotel || || ||

| || || Shubert Theater (aka Denham Theater) || || ||Cost of marble: $22,000

| || || Symes Building || 90px || ||

| || || Thatcher Memorial Vault || || ||

| || || Union Station || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $10,000

| || Glenwood Springs|| Citizens National Bank || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $899

| || || Federal Building (floors) || || ||

| || || Taylor Mausoleum || || ||

| || Greeley|| Post Office || || ||

| || Gunnison|| Post Office || || ||

| || La Junta|| Santa Fe Office Building || || ||Cost of marble: $3,550

| || Marble|| High School || 90px || ||

| || || Baptismal font, St Paul's Church || || || Now installed at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Glenwood Springs, Colorado

| || || Mantel & overmantel, St Paul's Clubhouse for Boys || 90px || ||

| || Pueblo|| Vail Hotel || || ||Cost of marble: $2,182

| District of Columbia|| || Barnes Hospital || || ||Cost of marble: $15,000

| || || W. Seely Hutchinson || || ||Cost of marble: $1,619

| || || Lincoln Memorial || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $1,080,000

| || || Real Estate Trust Building || || ||Cost of marble: $5,540

| || || Colorado Memorial Stone, Washington Monument || 90px || ||

| Idaho|| Pocatello|| Post Office and Courthouse || || 1911 ||

| Illinois|| Chicago|| Field Building || 90px || ||

| || || Otis Building || || ||

| || || Rosehill Mausoleum || || ||Cost of marble: $50,000

| || || Telephone Building || || ||Cost of marble: $76,000

|- || Rockford || Mausoleum || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $1,000

| Indiana|| Crawford|| Davis Mausoleum || || ||

| || Evansville|| First National Bank || || ||

| || Morocco|| Mausoleum || || ||Cost of marble: $8,000

| || South Bend|| Studebaker Building || 90px || ||

| Iowa|| Davenport|| Davenport Hotel || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $30,000

|- || Plover|| Lind Mausoleum || 90px || ||

| || Smithland|| Rice Tomb || || ||Cost of marble: $10,000 (120,000 lbs.)

| Kansas|| Independence|| Court House Post Office || || ||Cost of marble: $3,000

| || Wichita || Public Library || || ||Cost of marble: $2,000

| || Winfield|| Mausoleum || || ||

| Kentucky|| Paducah|| Mausoleum || || ||Cost of marble: $7,000

| Louisiana|| Shreveport|| Commercial National Bank || || ||Cost of marble: $12,500

| Massachusetts|| Cambridge|| Widener Library, Harvard University || 90px || ||

| Michigan|| Detroit|| Office Building – 43 story || || ||

| Minnesota|| Minneapolis|| McKnight Building || || ||Cost of marble: $18,582

| Missouri|| Independence|| Auditorium – Community of Christ aka Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) || || ||

| || Kansas City|| Chambers Office Building || || ||Cost of marble: $10,000

| || || Community Mausoleum || || ||

| || || Rialto Building || || ||Cost of marble: $28,000

| || Saint Louis|| German-American Institute || || ||

| || || German Savings Bank || || ||

| || || Monward Realty Building || || ||Cost of marble: $30,000

| Montana|| Billings|| Montana Power House || || ||

| || Helena|| Montana State Capitol || 90px || ||

| || Great Falls|| Rainbow Hotel || || ||

| || || United Savings and Trust || || ||

| Nebraska|| Broken Bow||I.O.O.F. Building || 90px || ||

| || Columbus|| Evans Hotel || || ||Cost of marble: $10,000

| || Greeley || Greeley County Court House || 90px || ||

| || Hastings|| Masonic Temple || || ||Cost of marble: $1,125

| || Lincoln|| Bencroft Ward School University of Nebraska at Lincoln || || ||

| || || Chaplin Building || || ||

| || || Lincoln High School || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $23,500

| || Omaha|| Brandeis Subway Building || || ||

| || || Douglas County Court House || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $111,000

| || || Fontenelle Hotel || 90px || ||

| || || Forest Lawn Chapel & Crematorium || || ||

| || || Union Pacific Building || || ||Cost of marble: $25,000

| || || West Lawn Mausoleum || || ||Cost of marble: $104,000

| || || Woodmen of the World Building || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $64,000

| ||Saint Paul|| Howard County Court House || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $10,000

| || Sidney|| First National Exchange Bank || || ||

| New York|| New York City|| Cambridge Building || || ||

| || || Equitable Life Building || 90px || ||

| || || Metropolitan Museum of Art || 90px || ||

| || || Municipal Building || || ||

| || Syracuse|| Third National Bank of Syracuse || 90px || ||

| || Schenectady|| Cross and seal design || || ||

| Ohio|| Belefontaine|| Post Office || || ||Cost of marble: $707

| || Cleveland|| City Hall || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $125,000

| || || Cuyahoga County Courthouse || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $500,000

| || Jayville|| Abbottsville Memorial || || ||

| || Sidney|| First National Bank || || ||

| || Versailles|| Mausoleum || || ||Cost of marble: $6,000

| || Wooster|| Post Office || || ||Cost of marble: $777

| || Youngstown|| Mahoning County Court House || || ||

| Oregon || Portland|| Bedell Building || 90px || ||

| || || First National Bank Building || 90px || ||

| || || Northwest National Bank || || ||

| Oklahoma || Enid|| High School || || ||

| || Tulsa|| Studebaker Company Building || || ||

| || || Tulsa County Court House (demolished) || || ||Cost of marble: $4,360

| || || Tulsa High School || || ||

| Rhode Island|| Providence|| Providence County Courthouse

| || || Union National Bank (today Hotel Icon) || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $1,000

| Utah || Salt Lake City ||Boston Building || || ||

| || || Denver & Rio Grand / Western Pacific Railroad Station (Union Building) || 90px || ||

| || || Holmes-Knox Building || || ||

| || || Latter Day Saints Gymnasium || || ||

| || || Newhouse Hotel || || ||Cost of marble: $10,000 || || ||

| Virginia|| Arlington|| Tomb of the Unknowns (aka Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) || 90px || ||

| Washington|| Seattle||Union Bank || 90px || ||Cost of marble: $698

| || Walla Walla|| Court House || || ||Cost of marble: $10,000

| Wisconsin|| Oshkosh|| Private Vault || || ||Cost of marble: $309

| Wyoming|| Sheridan|| Bank || || ||

Notes

Footnotes

Citations

References

File:ChemicalAnalysisYuleMarble.jpg|Table: Chemical analysis reported for Yule Marble

File:YuleMarbleQuarryOperators.jpg|Chart: Yule Marble quarry operators, 1884 to present

</gallery>

External links

with extensive photos and text
with photos and Quarry FAQ
digital scanning of the Tomb exterior

Timeline

Characteristics

Discovered: 1873 to mid-1880s

Primary quarry: 1905 to today

Lincoln Memorial: March 1914 to June 1916

Quarry access

Structures with Yule marble

See also

Notes

Footnotes

Citations

References

Further reading

External links