Quarry Happenings

  SANDSTONE BLASTED FROM BLUFF Mammoth blocks of sandstone were blasted from the ledge with black powder.  Toivo Luoma and other drillers cut rows of holes, with twenty- foot drills, run by air compressors, powered in the early years by steam, later by hydropower.  The drill operators were supposed to wear masks, but even their faces covered they could not escape breathing the clouds of stone dust that blew out of the holes as they operated the drills.  Black powder was poured into the bottom of each hole, measuring about two inches in diameter.  Next, a quarry man connected all the holes wither copper wires and filled  the holes  with sand.  Someone gave a signal and everyone would take cover behind the rock crusher or a bluff.  A jolt of electricity ignited all the powder at once shaking the  whole town with man-made earthquake in the quarry.  In 1898 the Pine County Courier reported that sandstone block was moved more than f...

DINKY SWITCH ENGINE The quarry's engine, called the dinky switch engine, was constantly moving sandstone around the  quarry.  It pulled flat cars loaded with mill blocks to the saw mill. It hauled loads of scrap rock to the rock crusher and made many trips every day hauling undesirable rock to the dump south of the railroad bridge.  When the sandstone was to be shipped, the switch engine moved flat cars with building stone, gondola cars loaded with paving blocks, and cars filled with crushed rock to  the edge of the quarry to be picked up by  Great Northern Railroad engines.   

  September 26 was our very first movie night on the lawn of the Sandstone High School also known as the (Rock).  Approximately40 people attended the event along with a few politicians.  The developer got a 4 million dollar grant for restoring the school and turning it into 31 apartments.  The Sandstone Credit Union donated popcorn, Sandstone fire department had one of there fire and rescue trucks and parked in the street.  Which was blocked off.  And the History Center sold snacks and drinks for the movie. SANDSTONE OKTOBERFEST October 5th Saturday SPONSORED BY SANDSTONE HISTORY CENTER>>> BEER STEIN DISPLAY WIN A TROPHY FOR THE BEST  BEER STEIN DISPLAY CONTEST: 11:00- 11:45 register your beer stein or steins for display contest LOCATION: Band shelter by Lambert's Train Park 11:45-12:00 Everyone welcome to VOTE for your favorite beer stein 12:15 WINNER announced and TROPHY PRESENTED   12:15 PICK UP YOUR BEER STEIN, a c...

BOOM A boom (cable) with logs fastened to it helped prevent logs from going over the dam.  The boom ran diagonally across the river.  The trapped large logs, called dead heads, were used for lumber, the smaller ones for firewood.