Battlement Mesa Rainbow

I’ve never seen a rainbow this large or bright before.  I’m happy that I was able to run outside and grab a few shots before it started to rain again.  September storms are always nice.  There was just enough sunlight coming through the clouds to produce this HUGE rainbow.  The dark sky in the background really sets it off.

President George H.W. Bush

If you find yourself at the George and Barbara Bush Center in Biddeford, Maine and think you are looking at Colorado Yule Marble, you are correct.  The statue of President Bush was carved out of a single block of marble from the quarry.

The block was ‘tipped’ in early July, 2004 and you can see a couple of images of the raw block inside the quarry as well as meet John Andelin, the sculptor, here.

John Andelin is a self taught sculptor who carved his first marble figure in 1995.  More on John at heroicmarble.com

President Bush

Become A Part Of The Documentary!

I launched the project on kickstarter.com just a few minutes ago and you can find it here! The DVD ‘The Colorado Yule Marble Quarry: Our National Treasure’ needs to go nationwide and we have a good start thanks to a western distributor of books, Books West, that has just picked up the DVD and begun to offer it to stores in the western USA.

Very cool offers are on the table for your financial help to get the DVD where it needs to be and one or two just might be once-in-a-lifetime offers.  Check it out by clicking here!

The DVD has been self-funded until now and I truly believe you guys will take it to the next level.

Crystal Mill Gets A New Roof

The 100+ year old structure was given a new roof last Thursday thanks to a professional from Aspen, Colorado.  I’ll do a little digging and put his name here as a ‘thank you’ for his donation of time and talent.

The roofing materials were supplied by the owners of the mill.

While some are unhappy with the new looking roof (it just does not make for a cool looking ‘historical’ image of the Colorado icon) I’m very happy that the structure will now be protected from the elements for many, many more years to come.  The old roof was in bad shape and the mill was in danger of becoming unstable.  Sounds like the Tomb Monument, eh?  The old roof was put on in the 70’s and had weathered nicely to blend in with the mill.  In a few short years this new roof will look like part of the original structure.

The Crystal Mill with it’s new roof.

It’s still the same Crystal Mill, even with a new roof.

The road to mill has become very rough and I wouldn’t even think about taking a 2WD vehicle on it.  Street tires are a no-no in my book and aggressive tires are best.  When in doubt give Smitty a call at Crystal River Jeep Tours and leave the driving to him.

Marble Finishing Mill Book

The book on the finishing mill will not be ready until next spring/summer.  I’ve decided to expand it beyond a tour booklet and we’ll wait to see what it does develop into.

New Booklet On The Old Marble Finishing Mill

I’ve been busy with the latest project which is a ‘then and now’ booklet on the old Marble Finishing Mill.  The booklet should be ready in about two-three weeks and you’ll be able to order it from this blog as well as my other websites.

The booklet idea started as my family and I were walking around the millsite and noticing how many people were at the site trying to understand what used to be there.  I ended up being a sort of interpretive guide for several people and after seeing and hearing how much they appreciated and enjoyed the information we decided to put together the booklet.  You’ll be able to use the booklet on a tour of the site or as a stand alone source of the mill’s history away from the site.

After more than six years of capturing images at the millsite I noticed that several of them matched images that were taken over 100 years ago.  I gathered all the images I could find of the site and set out to stand in the footsteps (or as close as I could) of the original photographer to show the ‘then and now’ story.  The booklet will contain the full written history of the mill along with over 100 photos, both historical and current.

This shot will give you an idea of the ‘then and now’ aspect of the booklet.  The old image was probably taken around 1915 or so looking east from within the stone yard of the mill.  You can see the rails to the left that the electric tram rode on to bring the marble from the quarry to the mill.  The slightly visible wall to your left is the northern support that the traveling crane rode on.  The crane would pick up the marble and transport it wherever it was needed within the stone yard.  The building to your right is part of the finishing mill and looks like Shop #2.  The second image was made several days ago and is as close to the footsteps of the original photographer as I could get.

Lead King Loop Road Update

Smitty from Crystal River Jeep Tours says that the high road to Lead King is still blocked by snow and he will be checking it out this next week to see how the melt is progressing.

You can get to the summit of the Lead King road by going through Crystal City, a nice drive that takes you by the old mill.  I found this image during my research of the quarry.

And this one that shows the condition of the old mill before any restoration work had been done (including a new roof).

The current condition of the old mill is due to all the restoration efforts and partial rebuild that has taken place over the years.

The snow bridge is still in place to the Punch Bowl and no, that is not Smitty on the horse.  At least I don’t think so.:)  It will likely be mid to late July before that melts out.

You can always play a friendly game of poker while you are in Marble.

Thanks to Smitty for the update.

9 News In Denver

Channel 9 News in Denver, Colorado has been on board with the Tomb Restoration Project since day one and invited John Haines and myself on air for a short interview today.  You can watch the interview here.

The story ran in a shorter form in the afternoon news.  You watch that clip here.

Four Score and Seven Years Ago

The Lincoln Memorial will be rededicated on May 30th, 2009, exactly four score and seven years since the dedication on May 30th, 1922.

This blurb is from the National Park Service website:

Lincoln Memorial Rededication

Four score and seven years ago, Americans of different generations, races, backgrounds, and occupations gathered in Washington, D.C. to dedicate the Lincoln Memorial. The President of the United States, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Robert Lincoln, and veterans of the Blue and Gray alike came to honor the Savior of the Union. In the wake of Civil War, unity was the prevailing sentiment of that day.

Now, the memorial built to honor Abraham Lincoln continues to bring Americans together in struggles for equality and celebrations of freedom. Join us on May 30, 2009 as we rededicate the Lincoln Memorial and demonstrate that this government—this nation—truly is one of, by, and for the People.

‘Four score and seven years ago’ comes from President Lincoln’s speech at Gettysburg which we know as ‘The Gettysburg Address.’

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

I wonder if the people present at the dedication in 1922 sensed the significance of the day not to mention the life of President Lincoln?  Several of those present could remember the man personally and none more so than President Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln.

I’ll bet these veterans of the Civil War that once fought to kill each understood the need to ‘bind up the wounds of this nation’ as they walked the steps on May 30, 1922

To get an idea of the day you can read President Harding’s program of the dedication.

President Harding Program May 30, 1922

Lincoln Memorial 50th Anniversary, 1972

Let’s not forget ‘The Birthplace of The Lincoln Memorial’, The Colorado Yule Marble Quarry.

The face of the quarry today.

The Final Tour Preview

The previews are of the DVD ‘The Colorado Yule Marble Quarry: Our National Treasure’.

When I started editing the additional previews my wife asked me if I was ‘giving away’ too much of the film.  It’s a valid question and I had to stop and think about it for a minute and then I realized that if this were a typical documentary then yes, I would be giving away too much content for free.  This is not the ordinary documentary.  ‘The Colorado Yule Marble Quarry: Our National Treasure’ is a jam packed, 3 1/2 hour,  history filled, visually interesting DVD.

I really do enjoy introducing people to the rich history of the quarry and mill, especially the inside of the quarry itself where cameras are no longer allowed (except for mine).

done