406 • REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM, 188G. 



entirely crystalline and acquire an excellent surface and polish, such as 

 fits them for interior decorative work. 



Light- colored, fine-grained limestones also occur in the vicinity of 

 Austin, in Travis County; and dark mottled varieties near Burnet, in 

 Burnet County. 



Wisconsin. — The more thickly settled portions of this State are, accord- 

 ing to Professor Conover,* underlain by Silurian rocks so disposed that 

 there are but few regions where rock fit for ordinary purposes of construc- 

 tion can not be obtained in quantities sufficient to supply the local de- 

 mand. Previous to 1880, however, with a single exception, no quarries 

 had been worked for export beyond the State, aud but few that had 

 been worked for other than local markets. Asa whole the stone be- 

 longing to this class in the State are characterized by their light colors, 

 compact textures, and hardness. Many of them will take a good polish 

 and might be used for ornamental work, but that the colors are dull and 

 uninteresting. Such occur and are quarried to a considerable extent at 

 Byron, Fond du Lac, and Eden, in Fond du Lac County, but although the 

 stone seems very durable, its hardness is such that it has not been used 

 for facings or any kind of ornamental work. Coarse drab dolomites are 

 quarried for general building at Ledyard and Kaukauna, in Outagamie 

 County; at JNeenah and Oshkosh, Winnebago County, and at Duck 

 Creek Station, in Brown County. In various parts of Waukesha County 

 there occurs a light drab, sometimes almost white, dolomite, which, 

 though a hard stone to eut,hasbeen quite extensively used and with very 

 good eifect for general building. At Eden, Oak Centre, and Sylvester, 

 Green County, a similar stone occurs, which also crops out in Calumet 

 County. Here it is of a white mottled color, takes a good polish, and 

 is locally called marble. 



Near Bacine there occur beds of dolomite, varying from coarse, porous, 

 and irregularly bedded to a fine, compact, and homogeneous rock, emi- 

 nently adapted for fine building material, though not well suited for 

 ornamental work. The quarries are very extensively worked. Other 

 quarries in the same formation occur at Milwaukee, Cedarburgh, Graf- 

 ton, Sheboygan, and Manitowoc. The Milwaukee quarries furnish sev- 

 eral grades of building material, and of almost any necessary size. 

 These are said to be remarkable for the great depth of excellent build- 

 ing stone which their working has developed. 



Numerous other quarries occur in Bock, Dane, and La Crosse Coun- 

 ties, but which can not be mentioned here for lack of space. 



* Report of Tenth Census, Vol. x. 



