Calcite - The World's Largest Limestone Quarry

Calcite - The World's Largest Limestone Quarry. Historic Site No. 16. , Since 1912, the skyline south of Rogers City has been dominated by the buildings, machinery, and storage piles of the Calcite Plant, the world's largest limestone quarry operation. The operation was founded by New York investment banker William F. White and his Michigan Limestone and Chemical Co. that purchased 5,000 acres of land south of Rogers City., During construction of the plant and its early years of operation, Carl D. Bradley served first as General Manager of the company and later as its president. While the plant was built primarily to provide the high quality limestone needed in the manufacture of steel, Bradley developed many new markets for Calcite limestone in the agricultural and cement industries. By his death in 1928, he was often referred to as the "Limestone King.", The company experienced great success, due largely to the extraordinary quality of its stone, its ability to ship the stone to customers around the lakes by low-cost water transportation, and its exceptional management. In 1920, the quarry and its fleet of self-unloading freighters were purchased by U.S. Steel. Today, the Calcite Plant is owned by Carmeuse Lime and Stone, a leading global producer of limestone., The Calcite quarry is approximately 5 miles long, 2 miles wide, and up to 150 feet deep. Since 1912, the plant has produced and shipped more than 878,000,000 tons of limestone. Reserves of stone are expected to last another 50-75 years., Funding for this marker was provided by a grant from the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan. The text and image were provided by the Presque Isle County Historical Museum. The sign was manufactured by Valley City Sign Company, based on a design previously developed by Harry Wierenga of Fleis and Vandenbrink Engineering. The sign was installed by personnel from the Department of Public Works.