Rogue Rock Smiters

Moving Mountains: Wyoming

How Utah sandstone crafted in Wellington became university buildings in Laramie.

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Faith to Move Mountains — Literally

At Quality Building Stone in Wellington, Utah, one-ton sandstone slabs come off the saw and onto the rails, where they are smitten by hand into brick. Kimball carried and worked those blocks eight hours a day. The bricks from this yard were sold to masons and laid two states away — in buildings on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie.

I didn't LAY those bricks in Laramie. I CRAFTED them — from stone into bricks that were sold to the masons who used them. The same dividing line as Lumberjacks and Carpenters: the crafter of raw material feeds the tradesman of the finished work.
— Kimball Roundy
Sandstone hall, University of Wyoming campus
Sandstone hall, University of Wyoming campus
Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center, Wyoming
Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center, Wyoming
Arched facade rising in Utah sandstone
Arched facade rising in Utah sandstone

Credit Where It Belongs

The quarrying, sawing, and supply behind this heritage is Quality Building Stone — the Miller family's operation, 25+ years in Utah stone, whose portfolio also includes the Devereaux Mansion, Brooks Arcade, and the Corbin Building in New York City. Their yard motto says it best: “Man fears time, but time fears the pyramids.”