Col. C. F. Meek owned controlling interest in the Colorado Yule Marble Co. composed of stockholders from Philadelphia and other eastern cities, and was the president and general manager. Knowing how to handle men as well as finances he was very popular with the company employees. Under his management orders came pouring in and soon Colorado Yule marble was being used all over the United States: From Houston, Tex. to Chicago, Ill.; from Washington, D. C., and New York City to Portland, Ore., Los Angeles and San Francisco, Calif.
INTERIOR OF QUARRY—One of the “rooms” with floor space—30,000 square feet—producing 3,000 cubic feet of marble per day. —Photo by Henry L. Johnson, Marble, Colo.
Col. Meek especially loved his home and family, and managed to spend much time with them regardless of other interests. In addition to being a good manager he was very liberal and considerate of his employees and the town in general. Although a Protestant himself he did donate two lots on Park Avenue to the Catholic Church and was donating marble with which to erect the building, the company employees were donating their labor. The corner stone was laid Oct. 12, 1912, and the church was named “Saint Columbus Catholic Church of Marble.” Father Carrigan of Glenwood Springs officiated at the dedication. Father was a personal friend of Col. Meek and was always entertained at his home on his visits to Marble. He often said the colonel was the best read man he ever knew, always being interested in literature, music, and art, and could converse intelligently on all subjects. The colonel was seriously injured August 10, 1912, on a runaway trolley car coming down from the quarry and died four days later. The new management, not being quite so liberal, would not donate the marble to complete the building so work stopped. After a few years a small wooden structure was built on the front half of the foundation, but green lumber was used and it was poorly constructed; so after a few years it sagged, was condemned, and taken down in 1924. But the marble foundation still stands, a memorial to one of the greatest philanthropists Marble ever had.
J. F. Manning was elected president and general manager of the company Oct. 1, 1913. While he was still eastern sales agent for the company he learned that a memorial to the memory of Abraham Lincoln was to be built in Washington, D. C., and went after the contract. This took considerable doing as samples of marble from all over the world were being sent to Washington.
“To determine the question, whether or not this marble was artistically superior to others, Secretary Garrison referred the matter to the National Fine Arts Commission, which on January 22, 1914 reported as following:
“‘The Commission of Fine Arts at their meeting held today, gave careful consideration to your letter of Jan. 17, 1914, requesting their advice upon certain questions arising in connection with the selection of marble suitable for the construction of the Lincoln Memorial. The Commission made a careful inspection of all samples submitted and have the honor to transmit the following:
“‘The artistic qualities of Colorado Yule marble as compared with others submitted, in the opinion of the Commission of Fine Arts, fit it pre-eminently for a structure of the character of the Lincoln Memorial.’”[1]
BLOCK OF MARBLE—for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier being brought down from the quarry on electric train Feb. 3, 1931. —Photo by Henry L. Johnson, Marble, Colo.
PILLARS AND BLOCKS—support pillars for crane tracks and blocks of marble left in the yard when Colorado Yule Marble Co., branch of Vermont Marble Co. ceased operations in 1942. —Photo courtesy John B. Schutte, Glenwood Spgs., Colo.