Early Union Granite Company Quarry
Rocklin History Tour – Stop 1.
Go to the corner of Rocklin Road and Granite Avenue. The lake that you see there in front of Rocklin’s library fills a quarry operated in the early 20th century by the Union Granite Company under the management of Finnish immigrant Matt Ruhkala.
Business at Rocklin’s granite operations flourished in the 1890s and very early 20th century, but competition from building materials other than granite attenuated the industry’s growth after 1905. Nevertheless the Union Granite quarry and several other quarries continued to produce granite curbing and stone for buildings and monuments until at least 1915.
Earlier, starting in 1903, Ruhkala had operated a quarry east of the Rocklin cemetery. It is now under the westbound lanes of Highway 80.
