Blue Diamond Mine
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Location | Clark County |
| Nevada | |
| Country | United States |
The Blue Diamond Mine and mill is a gypsum production facility at Blue Diamond Hill in Clark County, Nevada.[1] The mine was initially owned by a Los Angeles company known as Blue Diamond, which began mining the land in 1925. An on-site processing plant was added in 1941, followed a year later by the construction of a nearby company town, known as Blue Diamond, Nevada. The mine was eventually sold to James Hardie Gypsum, which expanded operations in 1998. BPB took over the gypsum factory a few years later, and developer Jim Rhodes purchased 2,400 acres in 2003.
History[edit]
In 1924, the Blue Diamond company of Los Angeles purchased a 1,000-acre site for $75,000, and began mining its large deposit of gypsum.[2][3] The site posed various obstacles for the development of a mining operation, including cost. There were no roads leading to the area, and there was no railroad connection leading to the Union Pacific line in nearby Arden, Nevada.[3] A railroad spur line was built to connect the mine to Arden, located about 11 miles southeast.[4][5] Quarry equipment and the construction of employee housing put the total project cost at more than $1 million.[3] The mine opened in 1925.[6] The initial production capacity was approximately 200 tons per day, a figure that was gradually increased with equipment improvements. Open-pit and underground mining took place at the site.[3]
In 1941, Blue Diamond added a processing plant on-site for the gypsum, which had previously been processed in Los Angeles.[3][7][8] Gypsum was mined at the top of Blue Diamond Hill and was transported by tram to the area below, where it was processed.[3][9] The Blue Diamond Corporation subsequently built a company town in 1942, named Blue Diamond, Nevada.[3] The mine, plant, and mill were expanded over the next decade. As of 1954, it had 325 employees.[10] Gypsum is extracted from the upper portion of the Permian Kaibab Formation. The gypsum layer is on the westward slope of Blue Diamond Hill.[11]
Ownership changes[edit]
James Hardie Gypsum eventually purchased the mine, and expanded operations there in 1998. It had 150 employees by the end of the decade.[12] In 1999, James Hardie put 2,700 acres of its mine land up for sale, at a price of $45 million.[13] In 2002, BPB agreed to purchase James Hardie's gypsum factory, located at the bottom of Blue Diamond Hill.[14][15][16] Meanwhile, John Laing Homes was planning a purchase of approximately 2,000 acres atop Blue Diamond Hill, part of James Hardie's mining operation.[15][17] John Laing planned to build a residential community on the land, but later withdrew its proposal amid opposition.[18]
In 2003, developer Jim Rhodes purchased 2,400 acres from James Hardie. Rhodes also intended to develop a residential project on the land,[18] and he launched tours of the mining operation hoping to win public support for the project. Rhodes argued that housing would be a better use of the land, rather than the continuation of mining.[6] Rhodes' mining operation closed in 2005.[19][20]
As of 2008, BPB operated a processing plant at Blue Diamond Hill, for gypsum that was shipped in from Arizona.[11] Rhodes' residential project received opposition, and he resumed gypsum mining on his property around 2011, while still trying to get the housing proposal approved.[19] As of 2014, he was selling approximately 1 million tons of gypsum each year through his company, Gypsum Resources.[21] In 2018, Rhodes sold 1,375 acres in mining claims to a Denver company.[22] Gypsum Resources filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019.[23]
References[edit]
- ^ Blue Diamond South Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project, Clark County: Environmental Impact Statement. 1996. pp. 3–.
- ^ "Blue Diamond Buys Buol Gypsum Deposit". Las Vegas Age. November 22, 1924. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Kim Geary (Summer 1983). "Gypsum Production at Blue Diamond, Nevada, 1924-1959" (PDF). Nevada Historical Society Quarterly. 26 (2): 112–121. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ "Blue Diamond Company Big Asset to County". Las Vegas Age. February 28, 1925. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ David F. Myrick (1963). Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California: The Southern Roads. Howell-North Books. p. 761.
- ^ a b "Rhodes begins PR campaign on gypsum mine site". Las Vegas Sun. May 5, 2003. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ "Blue Diamond Company Building Gypsum Products Plant at Mine". Las Vegas Age. August 1, 1941. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ "Plant Is Proposed To Use Gypsum". The Salt Lake Tribune. August 24, 1941. Retrieved September 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "News". Needles Desert Star. January 1, 1986. Retrieved September 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Blue Diamond Gypsum Mine In Operation". Reno Evening Gazette. October 18, 1954. Retrieved September 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Joseph V. Tingley (2008). Geologic Tours in the Las Vegas Area: Expanded Edition with GPS Coordinates. NV Bureau of Mines & Geology. pp. 23–. ISBN 978-1-888035-12-4.
- ^ "Fourth wallboard plant proposed for Las Vegas". Las Vegas Sun. May 17, 1999. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Hubble (January 18, 2000). "Brokers put Blue Diamond real estate on market". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on October 16, 2000.
- ^ "LV plant part of deal". Las Vegas Sun. March 13, 2002. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ a b "Factory sale won't affect housing project". Las Vegas Sun. March 15, 2002. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ "Las Vegas mine included in sale of Australian firm". Las Vegas Business Press. March 15, 2002. Retrieved September 6, 2020 – via NewsLibrary.
- ^ Geary, Frank (August 14, 2002). "Residents fear plan final blow to area's rural beauty, quiet". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on September 5, 2002.
- ^ a b "Purchase of mine revives Red Rock land-use battle". Las Vegas Sun. March 27, 2003. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ a b Schoenmann, Joe (February 28, 2012). "Developer Jim Rhodes gets tax break for mining on his Red Rock land". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ "Red Rock cleanup begins". Las Vegas Sun. January 6, 2006. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ Segall, Eli (May 11, 2014). "The resurrection of real estate developer Jim Rhodes". VegasInc. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ Segall, Eli (March 29, 2018). "Developer Jim Rhodes ups mining investment in Blue Diamond Hill". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Shea (August 2, 2019). "Would-be Blue Diamond Hill developer files for bankruptcy". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
36°05′06″N 115°24′25″W / 36.085°N 115.407°W
