Banning State Park is the site where the old sandstone quarry was situated. Banning Sandstone Quarry employed hundreds of workers in the early 1880s before it was abandoned and left to rot. Today, the site at Sandstone in Pine County, United States attracts millions of tourists annually.

What is the history of the town?

Banning Sandstone Quarry was established in the late 1870s when a community of lumber shifted from a logging business to sandstone quarrying. The town would later grow around the quarry and by the 1890s, the quarry alone employed more than 550 people. The constant fire around the Kettle River would lead to further advancement of the town instead of wiping it out of the earth’s surface. After the fire that destroyed most of the quarry’s structures, James and Samuel Hill offered finances that developed the quarries together with a small community that was established around it. The Hills used their connections to convince railroad companies to extend their railroad to the town. Banks and other business premises were also introduced in the town.

What led to the decline of the Quarry?

Over the years, the quarries did well as most of their stones were used as raw materials for construction work both in the state and in the neighboring. These later changed at the beginning of 1910 when cheaper and easily acquired construction materials like steel replaced the use of blocks and stones. The demand for sandstones began to decline, running the quarries into financial instability all through the 1920s and mid-30s. The quarries were closed during the great depression as the quarrying companies began making losses.

Banning State Historic Park

The little town together with the ruins of the sandstone quarry were all declared historic places and landmarks. The buildings which are now destroyed beyond restoration are still hanging on to life. What remains of the former structures are erected stoned walls. Some major buildings like the Minneapolis Trust Company building which was renovated and turned into Sandstone History and Art Center. It is one of the buildings that still show that there was a town in the region. All the ruins of the quarry and the little town of sandstone are all under Banning State Historic Park.

The quarries left several deep man-holes that are hazardous to visitors visiting the park. These holes will definitely cause serious permanent injuries if not death. Banning State Park is open for visits and tours and is always full of both locals and foreign tourists all year long. You can book tours to the historic site anytime. Hikes, nature walks, and learning of sandstone history are some of the recreational activities offered by the park.