In 1929, Swedish immigrant Ivor Peterson (c1906-1980) began working as a rock driller at the construction site for the Slave Falls Generating Station. After being told about an interesting rock formation on the farm of Jacob Blomquist, he investigated and discovered a deposit of fine quality red granite suitable for the manufacture of gravestones. In 1933, Peterson reached an agreement with the Blomquist family to exploit the deposit and he operated a quarry at this site until 1944. Ill health forced him to sell the quarry to Ted and Eric Blomquist who sold it in 1946 to the Cold Spring Granite Company of St. Cloud, Minnesota. It remains in operation under this company today.
Aerial view of Cold Spring Granite Quarry (1987)
Source: George Penner
Aerial view of Cold Spring Granite Quarry (July 2020)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N50.14532, W96.07626
denoted by symbol on the map above
Obituary [Ivor Peterson], Winnipeg Free Press, 28 July 1980, page 44.
Logs and Lines From the Winnipeg River: A History of the Lac du Bonnet Area by the Lac du Bonnet History Book Committee, 1980, pages 298, 309-310.
This page was prepared by George Penner and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 7 March 2025
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