"... As this pavement gave away [Nicholson pavement], the Belgian block was substituted, and now prevails on Front, First and Second streets, from G street on the north, to Jefferson street (with some exception on Second street) on the south. It is a block clipped or split out from the basalt along the river, the principal quarry being near St. Helens. It is obtained in brick-shaped pieces, some 4x10x15 inches. The stone is hard and when evenly laid makes a firm, but noisy, road. By constant use, however, the corners of the blocks are worn down, making a sort of cobble stone surface, which is slippery and difficult to horses drawing heavy loads. Owing to the non-uniformity of the ground beneath, as to firmness, the old sections are becoming warped, hollows and bunches. The constant lifting of the blocks to repair sewer and water pipes, or for street railway purposes, has also worked toward an uneven surface. ..."


Source:    Harvey Scott, 1890, History of Portland, Mason & Co., Portland.

"The largest part of the broken rock brought to Portland is quarried on the bank of Columbia River, a short distance below St. Helens. This locality is about 30 miles northwest of Portland, but direct tidewater connection makes the expense of transportation very low. The quarries are in the bluff about 100 feet above the river, and all of the products are loaded on large scows by gravity. The rock is a fine-grained augite andesite of nearly black color, which outcrops in prominent ledges, usually presenting well-marked columnar structure. It occupies an area of about 2 square miles, extending westward to the railroad. The amount of material available is very large. One of the principal products of the quarry is paving blocks. The large amount of waste which results is crushed, screened, and shipped as crushed rock for road material. More than 2 tons of this rock were sent to St. Louis, for working tests in concrete to be made later. The rock is free from honeycomb structure, very dense, and exceedingly hard, but somewhat brittle. Notwithstanding this latter quality, working tests demonstrate that it possesses great toughness when used as a component of concrete. It is sold for $1.50 a yard on the dock at Portland."

Click image to enlarge	HISTORICAL PHOTO, Lower Quarry, St. Helens, Oregon, as seen ca.1909. "Lower Quarry near St. Helens, Oreg. In Andesite used for paving blocks and crushed rock." Source: N.H. Darton, 1909, Structural Materials in Parts of Oregon and Washington: USGS Bulletin 387.
Click image to enlarge	HISTORICAL PHOTO, Upper Quarry, St. Helens, Oregon, as seen ca.1909. "Upper Quarry, Crusher, and Loading Incline, South Bank of Columbia River near St. Helens, Oreg." Source: N.H. Darton, 1909, Structural Materials in Parts of Oregon and Washington: USGS Bulletin 387.

"ST. HELENS, Or., Feb.27. -- (Special.)
The letting of the contract for 640,000 Belgian blocks for paving the streets of the metropolis will be considerable help to the business of this community, as the blocks are to be quarried here, necessitating the employment of a large number of men whose wages run from $2.60 to $8 per day. Two quarries will be operated. One on Milton Creek, and the other below town, known as the Listers' quarry. The latter has several feet of loose rock over the quarry and this will be barged to Portland, crushed and used on the city's streets."


Source:    "The Sunday Oregonian", February 4, 1904, courtesy Historic Oregon Newspapers archives, University of Oregon Libraries, 2014

"Jack McKie has finished his Fort Stevens contract and is now filling a contract of 450 tons of rock for the Vancouver barracks, which will be shipped from the Sister's quarry by barge. He has also a contract for 150,000 Belgian blocks for the City and Suburban railway of Portland."

Source:    "The Columbia register", July 8, 1904, courtesy Historic Oregon Newspapers archives, University of Oregon Libraries, 2014

"If Portland is to be moved, why should it not be moved to St. Helens? Of course Astoria wants it, but we have a prior right. Old folks tell us it used to be here, but that certain real estate men burned it up (or down) one night, and it has never been here since. Portland is going to be a big city. Why should it not be located where building material is convenient. Our quarries are supplying paving stones for Portland's street and building stones for some of its finest edifices. ....


Source:    "St. Helens Mist", July 19, 1907, courtesy Historic Oregon Newspapers archives, University of Oregon Libraries, 2018.

"... At present the basalt quarried is brought in many instances 50 miles, as, for instance, from the St. Helens quarries, where it is placed on barges and towed to Portland. This, of course, largely increases the expense of the rock for the city."


Source:    "The Oregon Daily Journal", September 25, 1907, courtesy Historic Oregon Newspapers archives, University of Oregon Libraries, 2018.

"L.E. Button & Co., of Portland, have leased the quarries on the King estate just south of St. Helens and intend to work them to their full capacity. About 40 men will be steadily employed for at least one year, getting out basalt blocks for paving the streets of Portland. As these men average over $5 a day, it will make a payroll of about $5000 per month. The rock industry is growing to large proportions here, the St. Helens Quarry Company operating a large plant north of town and employing about 100 men getting out crushed rock and Belgian blocks.

There will be a larger quantity of stone blocks used in Portland each year, as it is proving to be the only street paving that will stand the heavy traffic on the business streets, and St. Helens has the only first-class basalt for that purpose and the supply is practically unlimited. Stone blocks laid as they are now being laid on Front and First streets are equal to the best paved streets in the world and Portland is getting the material at lower prices than any other city in the country.

John Phillips, of St. Helens, has taken the contract from the company and will have full charge of the quarries."


Source:    "Morning Oregonian", October 14, 1907, courtesy Historic Oregon Newspapers archives, University of Oregon Libraries, 2018.

"It is altogether proper and wise for the common council and the people of the city of Portland, in deciding upon the character of ___ (not readable) to be used in the street work to take into consideration the fact that the Belgian block industry gives employment to a large number of men in a neighboring community. St. Helens, and in fact, Columbia County are commercial assets of the city of Portland. By far the greater portion of the money earned in the industries of this county are expended in Portland, and our interests are identical. ...

As to the quality of Belgian blocks for heavy street work there appears to be no dispute, and as the blocks are now made and laid the old roughness and nooise that characterized the large, irregular and poorly cut blocks is done away with, Columbia county is entitled to consideration from Multnomah for the reasons given and for many others.

It is not true as alleged, that there is a monopoly of Belgian blocks, or that only one firm is producing them. There are a number of quarries here where they can be bought, and the Columbia Contract Company, in opening its new quarry, finds that it has a large supply of columnar rock suitable for their manufacture. ...."


Source:    "Oregon Mist", December 18, 1908, courtesy Historic Oregon Newspapers archives, University of Oregon Libraries, 2018.

"After an investigation consuming several weeks in time, during which all the different methods and materials used in street paving were carefully considered, the city authorities of Portland have unanimously decided in favor of Belgian blocks to be used on all streets where heavy traffic is expected.

The awarding to Jeffrey and Bufton of one of the largest single contracts for street paving in the history of Portland is an event which will result in incalculable benefit to St. Helens and Columbia County. This community, possessing as it does, by far the largest supply of basaltic rock suitable for the manufacture of Belgian blocks in the State and of easy access will find through the decision of the Portland authorities, a ready market for an immense amount of this stone in the shape of Belgian blocks and crushed rock which is used in making the concrete foundation on which the blocks rest.

This contract, for which Philip Bros. of this city will furnish the blocks, will require 950,000 blocks. Laid down in Portland these blocks are worth $44 per thousand or a total of $41,800, which will be disbursed in this community in the following proportions: labor, which is by far the largest beneficiary, will receive in round figures, $33,250, leaving a balance of approximately $8,550 for the stone and transportation.

Figuring on a basis of two hundred blocks per day per man, which is a fair average, this means 4,750 days work, or 95 days steady employment for 50 skilled mechanics at good wages, beside the small army of laborers, teamsters, blacksmiths and others necessary in handling a contract of this magnitude.

Stone men are jubilant over the decision of the Portland officials and predict a bright future for the St. Helens stone market. It is believed that the awarding of this contract on Friday the 25th of this month, will lead to other and larger ones in the near future; in fact it is confidently expected that a similar contract will be let during the fall or early winter months, and the prestige that has been attained by St. Helens stone, leaves but little doubt that this stone will be specified by the Portland officials."

"It is with pleasure we congratulate St. Helens on the continued good prospects in the paving block cutting business. The contract recently secured by Philip Bros. for 950,000 blocks to be laid in the 14th street district, around the North Bank Depot in Portland, and another contract of equal size for the same neighborhood filed for publication by the city engineer, will mean great activity in the stone business in this city.

These two contracts will bring about seventy thousand dollars into St. Helens and Houlton.

It is gratifying to see that the authorities at Portland recognize the superior qualities of stone paved streets for heavy traffic.

Both the stone crushing plants are running day and night and this years output will double that of any previous year.

Any city that can supply men with steady employment and the good wages that St. Helens does needs no special boosting.

Such a condition makes this city a place where industrious men deserve to come and make a home for themselves."

Source:    "St. Helens Mist", September 1, 1911, courtesy Historic Oregon Newspapers archives, University of Oregon Libraries, 2014

"St. Helens, the home of the Belgian paving block, should forthwith present its claim in a forcible manner to the authorities having in charge of the work of paving the seventy miles of highway in Multnomah county as a prospective, meritorious and deserving candidate as the supply source for a great deal of the material to be consumed in that enormous volume of public work. This claim would not have to be based upon any sentimental assumption, but upon the fact of genuine merit, backed by dollar for dollar value.

There is no patent paving material that is in any manner whatever a competitor of the Belgian block in point of durability. A pvaement laid with the idea of carrying heavy traffic, certainly should be laid with no other material. This, of course, is the foremost reason for presenting the cause of the Belgian block to the consideration of the prospective customer.

However, its claims for favor are many. In the first place, the Belgian block is strictly a home product. In this respect, also, it has no competitor. And further, too, being a strictly home product, all the expenditures in its employment as a paying material would immediately flow back into the channels of home commercialism. Furthermore, Belgian blocks is the only paving material which has no cost for the raw material. Nature's lavish hand in placing this superior basaltic formation at our disposal has made it possible to utilize it at a comparatively low cost.

A Belgian block pavement is the only one that can be guaranteed to stand up under heavy traffic. It makes no difference what other class of paving material is used or by whom it is placed, the consumer cannot expect to have a guarantee of its durabiltiy. No contractor will guarantee patent paving material at all. With the Belgian block no guarantee would be necessary. Its durability has for many years been an undisputed fact.

The portion of the highway from the oil tanks, in the vicinity of Linnton, to Portland, is, no doubt, carrying the heaviest traffic of any section of road in the state. Approximately 100 ten-ton auto trucks make the trip daily from the tanks to the city. No ptent paving can long withstand such a severe test. The distance from the oil tanks to the city is approximately two miles. It is proposed to surface that section of the highway to a width of eighteen feet. For that work it would require approximately 900,000 regulation-size Belgian blocks, and even though the first cost of the improvement by the use of stone blocks were greater, the ultimate cost would be nominal, as future cost of repair would be entirely eliminated.

Portland has sent into the ocffers of foreign institutions during the last decade hundreds of thousands of dollars for paving material. Vitrified, or Seattle brick has been extensively used for paving the streets of the Oregon metropolis. The money so expended built up foreign institutions at the cost of the home product. The test of times has demonstrated the fallacy of such business methods. The use of the wooden block, another strictly local product, and excelled for standing up under heavy traffic only by the Belgian block, ahas been industriously avoided, greatly to the discredit of the authorities and to the financial loss of the community at large. The merit of the Belgian block should be presented to the Multnomah county authorities in the most convincing manner possible by business interests of this community. Certainly, it does seem that out of the great volume of material to be consumed in paving the 70 miles of Multnomah county roads, such a meritorious local material as Belgian blocks should be given the consideration which is due it." ."


Source:    "St. Helens Mist", April 23, 1915, courtesy Historic Oregon Newspapers archives, University of Oregon Libraries, 2014

"In order to have a sufficient supply of loose rock for crusher purposes, the county court had Jack McKie and Victor Anderson put in a coyote hole fifty feet deep and with a 10-foot "T" at the county quarry on the old Lamont place. ..."


Source:    "St. Helens Mist", August 11, 1922, courtesy Historic Oregon Newspapers Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, 2018.