Marmol
Marmol, Spanish for "marble", was established in 1890 by the Inyo Marble Company. The Company, headed by Israel Luce, was incorporated by Luce, David A. Bender, and Henry M. Yerington in 1885 to produce marble from a quarry near Keeler, California. Initially the marble was finished near the quarry, but it was costly and the demand forced Luce to search for a site better suited for water power. In 1888, he came to Reno to inspect offers along the Truckee River; ultimately a site offered by the Southern Pacific Railroad was chosen and the deal was finalized in March 1890. Construction on the new Inyo Marble Works commenced the following month.
A year later, twenty men worked under Charles B. Derby at the completed marble works, finishing, dressing, and polishing the marble that was transported by three rails: the Carson & Colorado, Virginia & Truckee, and finally the Southern Pacific. It was then sent off to San Francisco and other California cities for use in construction. Within a few years, the Marmol works was regarded as one of the finest in the nation. By 1895, however, work slowed and the facility closed for over a year. It reopened in May 1896, when marble was in demand for San Francisco's new City Hall and headquarters for the San Francisco Call. In 1903, the works again closed for a year, reopening in 1904, and in February 1908 closed again for the final time. Within a few months, the marble works were dismantled and the Marmol homes sold for lumber. The Inyo Marble Company, now inactive, was formally disincorporated in 1924. Although the Inyo Marble Company is no more, its legacy remains in the marble it produced for such landmarks as San Francisco's Mills and Hobart Buildings.
