Mining Archives | Bedrock of Beachville: The History of Our Limestone Quarries

North American Cyanamid Workers

A group of workers pose together outside of North American Cyanamid in the early 1950s.

A Report on Water Concerns

Michael Polvere reported that links between the quarries and dry wells were hard to prove in a special feature of “Quarry Quandry” in 2003. The article indicated that […]

A Blasting Timer

This photograph depicts a blasting timer used by Stelco around the mid to late twentieth century. The device has detailed instructions attached to its open lid and several […]

Charging Holes with Dynamite

Quarry employees, Dick Crestoff, left, and Jack Barker, right, are surrounded by crates of dynamite as they charge holes to prepare for a blast. The Dynamex and Canadian […]

The River Flats in Beachville

The flats around the Thames River were the perfect place to mine limestone. In this image, notice how shallow the soil is atop a major sheet of rock. […]

Discharging to the River

Around the time that this photo was taken, Chemical Lime Ltd. reportedly pumped 2000 gallons per minute into the Thames River. Their quarry pumps operated for hours, keeping […]

The Crusher on the Edge of the Pit

This image depicts the tramway, a ramp with a track running up it. Stones were carted up from the quarry pit to a building on the pit’s edge. […]

Drill Markings on the Wall

This image shows a worker near piles of stone that have been blasted off the pit’s walls. Notice the light, vertical lines at regular intervals on the face […]

Blasting in the 21st Century

Video Clip: (00:25): The limestone industry has long been active in the Thames River Valley. Early on, to loosen the rock, blasting was done with black powder and […]

On the Drilling Crew

When preparing to blast the selected section of the wall, drilling teams create holes vertically through the stone, starting a deliberate distance away from the wall’s edge. Each […]

Option Agreement and Contract Extension

The option agreement and contract extension are documents that both Cyrus Caldwell Poyntz and representatives of North American Cyanamid signed. The option agreement outlines that if the quarry […]

Caprock Stemming at Stelco

In this image, a layer of rock has been cleared of overburden, and workers plan to blast through the “cap rock,” which lies over the desired limestone reserves. […]