The History of Quarry Hill EarthCache
The History of Quarry Hill
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Welcome to Quarry
Hill
The park is open daily, from dawn to dusk. While at the park,
please respect all posted rules and guidelines. In order to help
protect this important and valued community asset, please follow
the “Leave No Trace” outdoor ethic.
Eastward view of the Quarry from
above...
This Earthcache will introduce you to Quarry Hill’s natural history
as well as guide you through its recent human history. Your
environmental exploration for this Earthcache will focus on the
quarry area at the center of the park (commonly referred to as the
“new” quarry in park literature)!!!
Natural History:
The limestone bedrock that lies exposed in the “new” quarry for
which you are exploring is of the Platteville Formation. “What is
Platteville Formation Limestone???” you ask…well…
Over many millions of years of Earth history, many various seas
have covered and retreated (and repeated various times) from the
area we now call “Home” here in SE Minnesota. Of importance to this
Earthcache is the Ordovician Period (basically Scientist talk for a
period of Earth’s History that took place 500 - 435 million years
ago), a shallow, tropical sea covered much of North America and the
proof is the limestone for which this quarry was used for. At the
time, our great state of Minnesota was near the equator and an
abundance of aquatic life lived in the sea.
Over millions of years (working our way to the present), the shells
of these marine animals collected on the sea floor, broken up by
the shallow crashing waves, eventually becoming the limestone for
which southeastern Minnesota is known for (as can be seen along
many stretches of local highway). The Platteville Formation is a
reference used to talk about sediments, shells, and skeletons of
ancient see life that gathered during this portion of Earth’s
History (roughly 455 – 454 million years ago). The broken, crushed
and compressed remains of those marine animals formed the limestone
of interest.
As time moved forward, relatively few ancient seas managed to cover
the area we now know as Southeastern Minnesota. Scientists can
confirm this by the lack of rock formations and fossils consistent
with other areas of the United States. No rock formations/fossils
are found in the area that are consistent with 435 – 395, 345 – 195
and 70 – 2 million years ago…thus bringing us closer to the
present.
The last important topic we are going to visit is the Ice Age
lasting about 2 million to 12,500 years ago. The expanding and
retreating glaciers (large, heavy sheets of ice) helped form many
of the rivers and valleys we know today. This ice age and its
glaciers dramatically remolded most of Minnesota's landscape…and
indirectly that of Southeast Minnesota; known as the “Driftless
Area” (an area for which the glaciers of the Ice Age did not
touch). The effect of the glaciers in this area can be seen in the
deep rivers and valleys cut into landscape as water drained outward
from the area. Much of the limestone we see in the area is of the
Platteville Formation due to its higher resistance to erosion (seen
along the Mississippi River bluffs and many area waterfalls).
Human History:
For almost 100 years, the land now referred to as Quarry Hill Park
was owned and operated by the Rochester State Hospital; used as a
worksite for many of the patients that farmed the land, mined the
quarry, along with many other tasks. In 1885 the quarry opened up
in order to provide Platteville limestone for the construction of
many of the State Hospital buildings. This limestone was valued for
its ability to resist erosion and yet remained relatively easy to
cut into block or more elaborate carvings. As the State Hospital
and Quarry Buildings were completed (Farmstead, Soaphouse,
Slaughterhouse, Bridge, Poultry House, Fireplace and several
others), the quarry served as a source of income for the hospital
as limestone was sold to the community.
To help you understand the value of the limestone obtained from
this quarry...keep in mind that Platteville Formation Limestone in
the area had an average density of 169 pounds/cubic foot...
Low Density: Limestone having a density ranging from 110
through 135 pounds/cubic foot
Medium Density: Limestone having a density greater than 135
and not greater than 160 pounds/cubic foot
High Density: Limestone having a density greater than 160
pounds/cubic foot
A
Rock Crusher was added in 1900 to help enable the quarry to
provide crushed rock that was used in the area as a gravel
substitute for improving roads. A second Rock Crusher was added in
1912 with a pulverizer being added in 1934 to meet the need for
limestone dust…at the time, making this one of the largest quarry
and crushing facilities in the state. Saint Mary’s Hospital, the
Kahler Hotel and the 1928 Plummer Building are among the most
famous buildings in the area built with materials from this site.
Of interesting note, in 1934 crushed rock sold for $1.25/yard and
limestone dust sold for $.75 a ton.
The quarry closed in 1950…followed by the crusher and pulverizer
being destroyed in 1955 as the buildings and towers were thought to
be a hazard to children who played in the area. Parts of the rock
crusher can still be found at the top of the hill at the southeast
corner of the quarry. Other points of interest are the
Compressor Shed (or at least its base),
Cap Shack and
Dynamite Shack (all located below as additional waypoints of
interest).
In 1965 the 212 acres of land were bought by the City of Rochester
(for $21,200) for use as a city park. In 1972, a nature center was
built through a community-wide fundraising effort and the rest is,
as they say, history…through building additions, land purchase and
improvements; helping to solidify Quarry Hill’s place as a premier
environmental learning destination in the area.
In order to receive credit for this cache you
must:
Note: Please stay on the trail that follows around the rim of the
quarry as well as through its center…no need to go off trail of
anything…
1) Calculate the distance (in feet) around the quarry and
its related area (in feet squared)
2) Calculate the depth of the quarry in its current state
(ie…the difference between the highest point around the rim of the
quarry and the lowest point inside the quarry crater…hint…near the
posted coordinates of the cache)
3) Calculate the volume of rock removed from the quarry
(ie…multiply the area you found in part 1 with the depth you found
in part 2)
4) Please explain why you believe the volume you found in
part 3 may be more or less than the volume of rock removed from the
quarry
Please email me those answers as you log your find…I will contact
you if there are any issues. In case it is needed...there are 5,280
feet in one mile and 27,878,400 square feet in one square
mile...
Pictures are always welcome with your logs, but are not required in
order to log on find on this Earthcache. Thank-you and enjoy your
time here!!!
Special Thanks:
Quarry Hill Nature Center Staff and Volunteers for helping me find
the information and permission I needed for this cache...especially
their Geocaching Program and Coordinator!!!
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)
Treasures
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