John Aloysius Green
Encyclopedia
John Aloysius Green was born in the parish of Moore, County Roscommon
, Ireland
, 10 December 1844. His parents were John Green and Bridget (Kenny) Green. John A. Green came to Boston, Massachusetts, September 2, 1852, and attended the common schools. In 1860 he learned the monumental trade and worked at it for ten years. Later he worked in granite
, sandstone
and last of all limestone
.
Mr. Green came west in 1865, living for a time in Joliet, Illinois
. In 1867 he worked at the Rock Island Arsenal
as a stone-cutter, and in the same year he went to Wyoming
, where he cut stone for Union Pacific
bridges, forty miles west of Cheyenne
. He returned to Joliet in the winter of the same year. March 17, 1868, then a lonely spot in the wilderness, now the site of Stone City, Iowa
, a prosperous community in the late 19th century that added great wealth to the state and to Jones County
, built, as its name indicates, on the business inaugurated by Mr. Green when he opened the Champion quarries.
For nearly fifty years, the quarries produced steadily, amounting to more than 4.5 billion dollars in sales. 1896 records indicate 1,000 men employed among the city’s quarries, carving 160,000 loads of stone in a single year with a market value of 3.75 million dollars. In his most productive years (1869-1890s), J.A. Green operated three quarries (known as “Champion 1,” “Champion 2,” and “John Allen”) using nearby Anamosa State Penitentiary
labor. All provided high-quality stone to the Midwest
. Green's various business ventures included other quarries in Iowa, Minnesota
, and Missouri
, as well as mason supply and sand dredging companies in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
. With his financial success and a keen eye for marketing, Green soon envisioned a city made entirely of stone to accommodate the growing population (from 60 to almost 500 by 1880).
In 1875 he married Ellen Green, of Joliet, Illinois, and to them were born —Mary, Anna, Joseph, Ellen and James, twins, Leo, Rose, Agnes, Robert, and Josephine.
In addition to the Champion quarries, Mr. Green opened a quarry on Buffalo Creek, worked the old state quarry on the Wapsipinicon River
for a time, a quarry at Wasioja, Minnesota, and one at Shuster, Missouri. He was the first in the United States to employ hydraulic power for stripping quarries, and he was also the first to load large holes with several hundred pounds of black powder, to shake the hills and loosen thousands of tons of stone at one blast.
In 1892 he was elected to the Iowa Senate
from the twenty-fourth senatorial district, a Republican
division comprising Jones and Cedar
counties. He was an unsuccessful candidate for congressional honors in 1904, receiving, however, 2,760 more votes than were given for the head of his ticket in the fifth congressional district of Iowa.
County Roscommon
County Roscommon is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the town of Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, 10 December 1844. His parents were John Green and Bridget (Kenny) Green. John A. Green came to Boston, Massachusetts, September 2, 1852, and attended the common schools. In 1860 he learned the monumental trade and worked at it for ten years. Later he worked in granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and last of all limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
.
Mr. Green came west in 1865, living for a time in Joliet, Illinois
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2010 census, the city was the fourth-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing...
. In 1867 he worked at the Rock Island Arsenal
Rock Island Arsenal
The Rock Island Arsenal comprises , located on Arsenal Island, originally known as Rock Island, on the Mississippi River between the cities of Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. It lies within the state of Illinois. The island was originally established as a government site in 1816, with...
as a stone-cutter, and in the same year he went to Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, where he cut stone for Union Pacific
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
bridges, forty miles west of Cheyenne
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
. He returned to Joliet in the winter of the same year. March 17, 1868, then a lonely spot in the wilderness, now the site of Stone City, Iowa
Stone City, Iowa
Stone City is an unincorporated community in Jones County, Iowa, United States. Stone City began as a company town for the workers of the local quarries. Stone City is known for its Anamosa Limestone quarries, historic limestone architecture, and 1930's art colony...
, a prosperous community in the late 19th century that added great wealth to the state and to Jones County
Jones County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 20,638 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,911 housing units, of which 8,151 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, built, as its name indicates, on the business inaugurated by Mr. Green when he opened the Champion quarries.
Anamosa State Penitentiary
Anamosa State Penitentiary is a maximum security penitentiary prison for men. It is located in the Jones County community of Anamosa, Iowa - approximately northeast of Cedar Rapids, Iowa....
labor. All provided high-quality stone to the Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. Green's various business ventures included other quarries in Iowa, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, as well as mason supply and sand dredging companies in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
. With his financial success and a keen eye for marketing, Green soon envisioned a city made entirely of stone to accommodate the growing population (from 60 to almost 500 by 1880).
In 1875 he married Ellen Green, of Joliet, Illinois, and to them were born —Mary, Anna, Joseph, Ellen and James, twins, Leo, Rose, Agnes, Robert, and Josephine.
In addition to the Champion quarries, Mr. Green opened a quarry on Buffalo Creek, worked the old state quarry on the Wapsipinicon River
Wapsipinicon River
The Wapsipinicon River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in northeastern Iowa in the United States. It drains a rural farming region of rolling hills and bluffs north of Waterloo and Cedar Rapids. The initial vowel rhymes with "pop".It rises in Mower County, Minnesota...
for a time, a quarry at Wasioja, Minnesota, and one at Shuster, Missouri. He was the first in the United States to employ hydraulic power for stripping quarries, and he was also the first to load large holes with several hundred pounds of black powder, to shake the hills and loosen thousands of tons of stone at one blast.
In 1892 he was elected to the Iowa Senate
Iowa Senate
The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 members of the Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 59,500 per constituency. Each Senate district is composed of two House districts...
from the twenty-fourth senatorial district, a Republican
Republican Party of Iowa
The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
division comprising Jones and Cedar
Cedar County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 13,956 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,064 housing units, of which 7,511 were occupied.-2000 census:...
counties. He was an unsuccessful candidate for congressional honors in 1904, receiving, however, 2,760 more votes than were given for the head of his ticket in the fifth congressional district of Iowa.
Sources
- http://iowajones.org/bio/biopage.htm
- http://www.mtmercy.edu/stone/colony.htm
- http://thestonecityfoundation.org/index.htm
- http://www.uiowa.edu/~calvin/quarry_7.htm