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Show OREME-GENEVA TIMES Thursday Nov. 7, 1957 flry. Ofl IimfctrM (Growflti At Pdfeam Poim U ooo Cedar strom Family Looks Back On 32 Years Progress A fantastic rags-to-riches success story with genial Roger Cedarstrom playing the part of legendary Horatio Alger lies behind the phenomenal development of a multi-milhoa dollar, mining industry at Pelican point on the west shore of Utah Lake. This true tale reads like a 'Comstock Lode adventure and the area may well be termed Utah County's 'Comstock Lode.' But the gold and silver connected with the once fabulously rich Virginia City has changed to non-metal-lics calcile, onyx, clay and limestone in this saga. Roger Cedarstrom, owner and operator of the vast central Utah holdings, is definitely the leading character, but the story had its beginning begin-ning years ago. . As with much of Utah history the roots of mining at Pelican point are tied up with the I lormon pioneers. 'Pear' Christofferson, a farmer far-mer and shoemaker not long from the Swedish countryside, upon conversion to the LDS faith, put hi'j family in an oxcart in 1862 and trudged, across the plains from St. Louis. Upon arrival in Salt Lake Valley, heVromptly settled on the block where the city and county building now stands. From his small adobe house he supplied sup-plied shoes to citizens of Utah territory. Early the following year he heeded the call of Brigham Young to colonize the west 'shore of Utah Lake. Despite the nearby water, 'Pear' Christofferson (he later changed his name to Pearson) found a dry, lonely wilderness wilder-ness a sagebrush strip of rocky soil undulating undulat-ing undramcrtically from the water's edge up into equally barren foothills. At heart a farmer, far-mer, Pearson tirelessly strived to make the desert de-sert blossom but was never too successful. His land was taken over by his son-in-law, Olaf Cedarstrom, who continued the back breaking labor. To Olaf's eldest son, Oliver, probably goes credit for the introduction of mining into the eariy wilderness. When searching the Lake hills for wood, Oliver came across some de--posits of onyx: beautiful orange and chocolate streaked specimens for ages the showcase minerals of the world's nobility. For many years the Cedarstrom family developed the Utah onyx. It became famous when a replica of the Salt Lake Mormon Temple and a cover for a family bible, bath, both carved on onyx by Olaf, captured first place prize at the World's Fair in Chicago. The Pelican point onyx was eventually used in the interior of the city and county building in Salt Lake City. It was also used in tabletops, lamp stands, bookends and various other ornaments in homes & churches. Dropping in popularity during the turn of the century-the onyx Is again coming into its own and Roger Cedarstrom, Olaf's son, mines several sev-eral hundred tons each year. Most of the brilliant bril-liant mineral Is exported to India where is is prized for its statuette-making characteristics. The Cedarstrom s today display a small orange onyx goddess, carved in India by a skilled craftsman and sent back to the family in appreciation. ap-preciation. However, onyx is only a minor segment of the Cedarstrom enterprises. Today the magic word is calcite and its success belongs to 62-year-old Roger Cedarstrom. Roger, one of the rapidly dwindling mining min-ing veterans who, is bridging the "savvy" of yester-year with modern methods, doesn't look like the millionaire he is. Rough and ready in manners and appearance, he would rather " gallop over his endless mining tracts on one cf his prize quarter horses or help repair a cal-. cal-. cite crusher than he would enjoy some of the fruits of his labors with fancy modern "do-dads." "do-dads." He still lives in the comfortable, unpretentious unpre-tentious house his father built and where he was born. His "old-school" philosophy, taught to him by his mother and impressed upon him by his early experiences of walking 12 miles a dav to thin sugar beets, receiving 50 cents tor 12 hours, and then handing every cent over to 'augment the meager family income still stick with him. In fact, one visiting him today is amazed by his business acumen and grasp of domestic and world problems-md this despite de-spite his four short years of elementary school long ago in nearby Lehi, abruptly halted because be-cause he was needed at the farm. ' This likeable man is one responsible tor making Utah County synonymous with calcite in the national livestock and building trades. The mountain of calcite found near his home at Pelican point was first noticed by his father, Olaf, who gathered a few crystals in 1902 and sent them to Professor James E. Tal-madge Tal-madge of the University of Utah who used them in his geology classes. But it wasn't until 1923 that Roger, fresh from a four-year stint in the navy, three year study in mining mill practies, a wife (the former for-mer Lorene Eisaman of Mercur) and two children, chil-dren, decided to keep the wolves away from his door by cashing in on the calcite deposits near his home. With several crystals in hand he approached Professor Alder o! the Utah State Agricultural College who agreed to run a two-year test to determine whether calcite would be a suitable mineral to feed poultry and livestock. After an apprehensive two years calcite proved to be much better than the oyster oys-ter shells being shipped from the Texas coast at that time. Professor Alder alerted the Utah farmers to the discovery and Cedarstrom was in business. Labratory tests assayed the calcite cal-cite at 99.04 per cent calcium, one of the purest pur-est forms and excellent as a livestock mineral supplement. Today, more than 20 tons a day are shipped to feed companies-and distributorsa distribu-torsa far cry from the few pounds shipped to Professor Talmadge. It is calculated that Cedarstrom's discovery has saved western poultry and livestock men more than four million dollars over the past 32 years. The principal savings come in freight costs which it takes to ship oyster shells from the gulf area. Not only does calcite do a better bet-ter job long freight hauls have been eliminated. elimina-ted. But calcite is not limited to feeding. The building trade has found multitudinous uses for it and it's standing the test. Cedarstrom's farsigtedness didn't stop with calcite. Remembering the vast reserves of almost pure limestone upon his holdings, he impressed the new Geneva Steel Plant with the purity of his product. (The first limestone burned at Pelican point was used by Brigham Young for the construction of the Lion House in Salt Lake City. The limestone was burned with cedar wood and was pulled across Utah Lake on a raft and from there by ox team to Salt Lake City). Encouraged by Qedarstrom a burning mill soon supplied hydrated lime for building and mortar in addition to lump lime for steel production and lime rock dust for explosion ex-plosion preventing in coal mines. This success would be enough for most people but not for Roger Cedarstrom. From his mountains of high-grade clay, he daily shios hundreds of tons for use in brick making and utilization in the steel industry. And he is presently mulling over the idea of producing produc-ing dry ice from the carbon dioxide given off in the lime-burning process. He figures he can easily make two tons a day. "The credit belongs to "Mother Earth," the unassuming Cedarstrom says and he continues: con-tinues: "We have the best calcite, clay, onyx and limestone in the United States right here in our own back year Utah County. No other state can beat these minerals. The people using us-ing these materials are realizing this. It's not going to be long before this area becomes 'a little Pennsylvania' thanks to our natural products!" pro-ducts!" And if Roger Cedarstrom has anything to say and do about it Look out Pennsylvania! Mammoth Calcite Depoits Serves Many Purposes Li"'1 .7-- wya x. r iCi A ' :1L i t t Tf .-! 7- - i 4 i' Jr f i i. v I - J A. ' 1 4 ' P i h i " - : ', NOT RESULT OF EARTHQUAKE BUT MAN MADE is this 30-ft 30-ft wide fissure which has been emptied of its calcite vein Into the bowels of the earth for more than 300 feet. The calcite vein Is producing the mineral which is helping to maintain healthy poultry poul-try and livestock throughout the western United States. . . The calcite reserves at Pelican Peli-can Point, said to be the largest anywhere in the United States, are enough to last for at least 100 years. For the past 32 years the Roger Cedarstrom Calcite Company, Com-pany, under owner and manager man-ager Roger Cedarstrom, has been hauling and crushing the valuable mineral from the deposit de-posit which surveys show to be 30 feet wide 500 feet deep and at least three miles long. More than 150 tons a week of the vital rock Is mined, crushed crush-ed and shipped to feed processors proces-sors and builders each week and at tremendous saving to consumers. New uses are con-tantly con-tantly being developed for the mineral which make for easier and happier living. The multi-use calcite is already al-ready being utilized in dozens of ways. Naturally it is most valuable as a mineral supplement supple-ment for poultry and livestock. In this form It has saved raisers more than four million dollars during the past 32 years. Calcite not only is important for chickens chick-ens in building bones and developing de-veloping strong egg shells but is vital to all livestock In building strong bones. We find ample calcium in the local milk we drink mainly because of the S V IV . f 'f x i , .A . - , i. s hi -14 CiA l 1 - , . I 1' 1 w . i' , ' "SKi . j , . . ' 4 ', f. . j - v: . f IT : - ' ! ' i - : I M V C -: J ' k i r ' ' ' ,--, - . ,. J V. , ; '-. -If I i . - - , , ' V - f i . ! I If, - ; - . i It I! ',.'; -i 5 " 1 JL i I . . , t I i , ROGER CEDARSTROM, HIS WIFE, LORENE, AND SON.ERNEST epitomize 95 years of progress in the mining processing and distribution of non -metallic products at Pelican Point, Utah, 12 miles southwest of Lehi on the west shore of Utah Lake. Mrs. Thelma Barnes, daughter of Roger and Lorene and secretary of the Roger Cedarstrom C alcite Company is not pictured. Cedarstrom Family .... Success Remains Cooperative Family Venture The Cedarstrom success story has been a family affair from the beginning and it's no different dif-ferent today. Production of the vital non-nietollics, non-nietollics, calcite, limestone and clay started out 32 years ago as a cooperative family venture and remains so. The support and understanding understand-ing of Lorene Eisaman Cedarstrom, Cedar-strom, herself the daughter of a miner from Mercur, Utah, has alwsys been important to Roger Cedarstrom. They were married in 1919 in Piothe, Nevada where Roger was studying mine milling, mil-ling, Their first child and present pre-sent director of the high-grade clay excavations, Ernest was bom there as was Thelma, now Mrs. Van Barnes of Lehi. present pre-sent secretary off the Calcite Company. Robert, born in the farm house which his father Oliver, built as a homesteader, lives with his wife in the newly-renovated building, pursuing the activities activiti-es of ranching and mining which mean so much to him. ' Ernest Cedarstrom is married to the former Pauline Grant and" they have two chidren, Craig, even and Grant, four. r;- ' "-.. ---- - . ? MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS FOR ANNLMALS AND BUILDING PRODUCTS are in the making at this calcite open face mine. Man-ring Man-ring the citerpillar is Rolwrt Jacobs, Lehi, while calcite mine foreman, Frank Gordcn of American Amer-ican Fork' uses the shovel. Open facs pit is worked in summer and men move below into tunnels during winter eold. - r.i . 4 - u -v i 5- calcite added to the diet of cows. The crystal formation of calcite cal-cite can be ground to almost any size. Small pellets are fed to poultry and the finely ground material is mixed with feed for cattle. Not far behind the feed industry in-dustry is the building trade. The pure white crystals are now being used for roofs. When mixed mix-ed with a chocolate colored onyx and black marble it is used us-ed for terrazo, a hard surface material used for interiors, floors and table tops. Utah visitors to the depths of Hoover Dam will be surprised to, learn that the terrazo used for the wall and floors of the tunnels was made from Cedar strom's calcite. This versatile mineral also makes an exceptionally excep-tionally fine gravel for special cement mixtures and driveways Modern stucco roofs and walls are given a silvery sheen when plastered with a composition of calcite. When ground to a fine powder pow-der the tiny crystals are used by many paint manufactufes as a paint filler. Few other states can boast any calcite deposits at all but Utah and the rest of the West benefits from the 99.04 per cent pure form mined and crushed at Pelican Point. No longer need farmers and ranchers ship less effective oyster shells from the gulf coast. And the building build-ing industry shares the calcite boom. 'T "'S vU ' if - , . t ," . if ' x, , " . - " ' 4 1 I - - . ' s; I 1 - V' - r 5. "1 READY FOR SHIPMENT Roger Cedarstrom. left, and Don Proctor Proc-tor display sacks of calcite ready to be shipped to feed dealers and poultry and livestock producers through the western United States. More than 150 tons of the white mineral are mined and processed each week at the Pelican Point mill. yy - ; r- I- V- EL tiy'-f iiff -itit'miriii ""fr"f-Y " J .,....,.:V'. ..iif-K.. .uail'j PORTAL TO UNDERGROUND CALCITE MINE leads down thru 300 feot of almost pure calcite and then levels off in 30-foot wide vein where digging takes place. Vein at bottom of shaft is reported to be more than three miles long. Loaded cars are brought to surface here and taken to mill for processing. A .. T ,1 . J I . -$ CALCITE MILL GRINDS VITAL MINERAL FOR VARIETY OF USES Here different sizes are crushed, graded and packed for distribution to feed markets, paint manufactures and builders. Huge silos hold calcite reserves. |
