Joliet in Will County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Quarries Are Us
I&M Canal Passage
Photographed by Jason Voigt, October 2, 2020
1. Quarries Are Us Marker
Inscription.
Quarries Are Us. I&M Canal Passage. While many know of Joliet as the City of Steel, the foundation of Joliet's industrial heritage rests on solid limestone. Long before the steel industry came to epitomize Joliet's blue-collar character, the quarrying of limestone formed the early lifeblood of the town. Workers digging the I&M Canal in Juliet (as the town was known) in the 1830s uncovered large quantities of a magnesium rich limestone called dolomite. The canal provided an inexpensive means of transporting the stone, and within a few years a new industry was born. Quarries operated in Lemont, Lockport, Joliet and Chicago, creating thousands of new jobs. This heavy, durable stone was used in buildings throughout the I&M Canal Corridor, including the Joliet Penitentiary and the Chicago Water Tower., "It is wonderful to contemplate the inexhaustible supply of stone in the hills and bluffs of the Des Pla[i]nes Valley. And the quality, too, the convenient ledges and layers in which it is found, and the easy access to it, is not the least wonderful item in regard to these vast quarries. It almost seems that the layers of stone had been purposely arranged for the convenience and benefit of man." George Woodruff, Will County Historian, 1878
While many know of Joliet as the City of Steel, the foundation of Joliet's industrial heritage rests on solid limestone. Long before the steel industry came to epitomize Joliet's blue-collar character, the quarrying of limestone formed the early lifeblood of the town. Workers digging the I&M Canal in Juliet (as the town was known) in the 1830s uncovered large quantities of a magnesium rich limestone called dolomite. The canal provided an inexpensive means of transporting the stone, and within a few years a new industry was born. Quarries operated in Lemont, Lockport, Joliet and Chicago, creating thousands of new jobs. This heavy, durable stone was used in buildings throughout the I&M Canal Corridor, including the Joliet Penitentiary and the Chicago Water Tower.
"It is wonderful to contemplate the inexhaustible supply of stone in the hills and bluffs of the Des Pla[i]nes Valley. And the quality, too, the convenient ledges and layers in which it is found, and the easy access to it, is not the least wonderful item in regard to these vast quarries. It almost seems that the layers of stone had been purposely arranged for
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the convenience and benefit of man."
George Woodruff, Will County Historian, 1878
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.
Location. 41° 31.537′ N, 88° 5.283′ W. Marker is in Joliet, Illinois, in Will County. It is on North Bluff Street north of West Jefferson Street (U.S. 30), on the right when traveling south. Marker is located at Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 30 N Bluff Street, Joliet IL 60435, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 6, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 6, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 273 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on October 6, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.
