08/20/2026
ABCs of Columbia SHP: Q is for Quarry!
Columbia’s marble is said to rival that of marble from Vermont and Georgia. Two main quarries processed this marble for buildings, not only in Columbia, but across California and even to Washington D.C!
The Bell Columbia Marble Quarry, was founded on March 21st, 1918, by J.B. Warner, Edward Hill, and Edward Parker, and was located just a few miles from where Columbia State Historic Park stands today and is the namesake of the local Marble Quarry RV park. This quarry produced unfinished blocks of marble weighing between six and fourteen tons. Blocks were transported on WW1-era tractors and hauled to the Sierra Railway in Sonora to be finished elsewhere. Despite being unfinished, marble from the Bell Marble Quarry was sent to cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. Columbia marble from the Bell Marble Quarry can be found in many famous historical buildings, like the Golden State Warfield Theatre, the Golden Gate Theatre, and the Metropolitan Life Building, all in San Francisco.
The Columbia Marble Company was founded after John Grant found marble deposits in 1854, just a few miles from Columbia, and stood as a direct competitor to the Bell Marble Quarry. They would eventually outlast the Bell Marble Quarry because of the Columbia Marble Company’s ability to produce finished slabs of marble. Today, The Columbia Marble Company is now Blue Mountain Minerals, who now mine the area for limestone instead of marble. Marble from the Columbia Marble Company made its way to many historical buildings that are no longer standing, such as the original Palace Hotel and Santa Rosa Courthouse, both of which were lost to earthquakes.
When completing the Washington Monument began to spread through the country, Columbia sent a block of marble on July 4th, 1857. It was thought to be lost when the ship carrying it, the Flying Dutchman, sunk off the New Jersey coast. Miraculously, the block was dredged from the sea and completed its journey to Washington DC. Sadly, it is unknown what happened to the block after it arrived.
Sources: CSHP Archives, Quarries and Beyond, George W. Peabody, Daily Alta California Newspaper
