The Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1854-1855, 1855-04-13
Visit TO the Gypsum.beds Mt Grand Rapids.

1t may not be unknown to our readers tha
extensive beds of Gypsum have lately beer
discovered in Michigan. Here is some ac
count of them from the Michigan Farmer
MEssRs. EDIroRs: l read in one of vour
late numbers. a letter from Mr. Butterworth
giving description of has plaster bed near
Grand Rapids, Kent Co. Michigan, which
might lead some of your numerous readers to
suppose that this was the only bed Of plaster
worked at the Rapids. | therefore propose
10 give you brief account of my visit to the
beds last fall.
Mr.. Butterworth's bed is situated on the
wet side of tie Grand river, about two miles
below the city of Grand Rapids l will not
pause TO describe this opening, for Mr.. L has
ably done so in his letter
About eighty rods below this, there was an
opening being made by a son of the Emerald
Isle; Il do not recoleet his name;) he was
within four feet of the thick rock or strata of
Gypsum. which is about thirteen feet thick
I'll would remark here that the rock in these
openings are stratiiied, and that the dip is sup
posed to be north east;) he has about the
same amount of alluvial deposit to remove as
Mr. b. lie has mill for grinding; and in
tends to sell in bulk as taken from the quarry
JUST below this is another opening belonging
to Messrs. Hinds and Adams This at the
time Of my visit, was in about the same state
of progress As the last men toned bed. no mill
to grind, and offered for sale the same on the
bank of the river
About a half mile below this is the opening
of }. Windsor & Co; they had Just erected 4
tip4 IA III spre>4 .lr sl,e serm 10 oe
near the crop-out of the thick strata. They
had but little uncovered, and that WAS in de-
tatched masses. the balance of the rock being
worn away bv the action of water. These
masses were of a fine quality. and IN the bed
of the stream on which the mill Is built L
think the rock is entire out of the channel of
this stream, and the bed inexhaustabe. The
deposit on the top OF the rock Is comparatively
light with the before mentioned beds.
And last though not least IS the bed of
Messrs Morgan and Avery. This was the
first opened on Grand River, and worked by
the lamented Henry r. Williams; 1t is on the
east side OF the river, two miles from the city
down the river, and but short distance from
the Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids plamkroad; :;
this is the grande9 opening OF all 1tey
have fine mill Situated Plaster creek.
(Which runs through their bed, with two run
of stone driven by the water from the creek
and twenty horse power steam engine, and
can grind sixty tons every twenty-iour hours
They have been active In quarrylng this sea
son, AMI have out some five thousand tons of
as fine plaster rs | ever saw. great proportion
being fit for siucco. These beds are truly a
pleasing sight for the farmer. for they are so
far advanced as to fully display treasures
worth more to the agriculturists of this State
than mines of gold.
will assert without fear of contradiction
that the gypsum beds OF Grand Rapids are
ineahaustable, and that the beds worked
are along the line of the out crop of gypsum
strata; that there are several straa differing IN
thickness, and they are found TO coincide in all
the openings. ID. G. McP
i{to he1k Co. Lsch