History

The Old Arizona Marble Quarry started in 1905 and was in full production by 1909.  Headed by Mr. John G. Kerr out of Denver, the company had 11 claims, totaling 1760 acres. 

Shipping was done by the Southern Pacific Railway. A 110 horsepower traction engine hauled the marble blocks, weighing up to 60 tons to the shipping station, located near Bowie, Az. 

To cut through the mountain and make these massive blocks, the company used 115 Horsepower water tube boilers, which supplied steam for driving the drills.

It has been reported that some of the blocks that were originally pulled out of the quarry were used in the construction of The First National Bank Building in Denver, CO, and the bank building at Champaign, IL and Missoula, MT.

In 1910, it was reporetd that 5,043 cubic feet had been quarried valued at $10,086.00. Today many blocks that were originally quarried and stored on the premises are still available.  New ground has been broken and new blocks are currently being pulled out.

The Arizona Marble Company is reopened to full active work, using much more modern techniques to extract this beautiful rock that is used today in many landscapes and homes.