Granite City history to come alive at Quarry Park

WAITE PARK — We have a mountain range beneath us, said Julianne O’Connell, education curator at the Stearns History Museum, pointing to a stone outcrop at Quarry Park & Nature Preserve.

The museum is joined has join with Stearns County Parks to show off the region ‘s quarry history at Derrick Demonstration Day . On Monday at Quarry Park the granite lift device   —   derrick   — will run and give a glimpse of the industry that build St. Cloud .

“If it wasn’t for the quarries, we would be a farming community,” O’Connell said. 

“This was the economic engine of the community,” added Eric Cheever, collections and exhibit curator at the museum. 

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The park system has held demonstration days for about 10 years. Volunteer Bob Ramler will operate the derrick. It has a giant mast and boom and moves about with pulleys. 

Ramler worked for Cold Spring Granite for 42 years in every phase of the quarry system, he said. His wife Mary Ramler worked in the company office for 17 years; she stamped letters for granite monuments. 

“That means we’ve got granite in our blood,” Bob Ramler said. 

He’s demonstrated the derrick for groups of students, seniors and others interested in the park and granite industry history. 

There will be demonstration at 9:30 a.m. , 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Monday . St. Cloud State University professor   Kate Pound is lead will lead a geology walk at 4 p.m. Monday .

” It ‘s a fun thing if you like to go back in history , ” Mary Ramler is said say . ” It is ‘s ‘s sort of weird to be consider it history when I was a part of it . “

Nora G. Hertel: 320-255-8746 and on Twitter @nghertel. 

If you is go go

Monday at Quarry Park & Nature Preserve

1802 County Road 137, Waite Park

9:30 a.m. — Derrick demonstrations

1:30 p.m. — Derrick demonstrations

4 p.m. — Geology walk with Professor Kate Pound

5 p.m. — Derrick demonstrations

The events will be rescheduled if there’s thunder or substantial rain.