Mlinois Cement Co. has been an important part of the mining industry in the Illinois Valley for more than 40 years. Illinois Cement Company A Historical Perspective "Owl Cement." Interestingly. the German operators also and the Pritzker family of Chicago to acquire the La Salle "he current Illinois Cement Company facility may have had different owners and names over the decades of operation but since 1897 it has produced high-quality Portland cement for such notable and belt-conveyed into the plant. Mining there continued through the late 1990s until the limestone reserves in the La Salle Quarry were depleted. However, dating back even earlier - to the early 1990s - discussions began with the city of La Salle regarding a plan to reclaim the La Salle Quarry to create property suitable for recreational and community use, including a large lake. "We are pleased that this has become known as Rotary Park, an exciting municipal La Salle project. The new La Salle Wastewater Treatment facility is also built on former Illinois Cement property which was donated to the city. Illinois Cement is proud of our heritage and our 45 years in La Salle and the linois Valley." found time to brew beer at the Alpha Portland Cement Co. site. When the United States entered World War I, the assets were taken over by the projects as the Shedd Aquarium U.S. Alien Property Custodian and production continued under the name of La Salle The site originated as an ideal Portland Cement Company. location for a production facility Then, in 1919, a syndicate of investors purchased the facility and, in turn, sold them to Alpha Portland Cement Company of Easton, Pennsylvania. Alpha operated the plant for 50 years but ceased production in 1970 due to aging equipment, large capital needs and challenging markets. The average workforce of 160 people lost operations and reserves which had been shuttered several years earlier. In 1973-74 the new partnership, named illinois Cement Company, built a modem, state of-the-art "dry process" system at the site with a production capacity of 1,125 tons per day. Since then, the plant has expanded and has been progressively modernized to remain at the cutting edge of technology and energy efficiency. Today, after an $80 million plant expansion project in 2006, it now has a permitted capacity of 3,000 tons per day. While quarrying activities are now based in Dimmick Township, the early years saw limestone required for production being mined from the La Salle Quarry, blasted, crushed and Merchandise Mart in Chicago. because of vast limestone reserves, abundant coal, which provided a fuel source, and access to the famous Rock Island and Illinois Central railways for reaching markets in Chicago and the Midwest. The first company to produce Portland cement at the site was German- American Portland Cement Works, a subsidiary of Portland their jobs. Cementfabrik of Hamburg. Germany. Their product was marketed under the name of In 1972 a joint venture was formed between Centex Corporation of Dallas, Texas Mlinois Cement Co. has been an important part of the mining industry in the Illinois Valley for more than 40 years. Illinois Cement Company A Historical Perspective "Owl Cement." Interestingly. the German operators also and the Pritzker family of Chicago to acquire the La Salle "he current Illinois Cement Company facility may have had different owners and names over the decades of operation but since 1897 it has produced high-quality Portland cement for such notable and belt-conveyed into the plant. Mining there continued through the late 1990s until the limestone reserves in the La Salle Quarry were depleted. However, dating back even earlier - to the early 1990s - discussions began with the city of La Salle regarding a plan to reclaim the La Salle Quarry to create property suitable for recreational and community use, including a large lake. "We are pleased that this has become known as Rotary Park, an exciting municipal La Salle project. The new La Salle Wastewater Treatment facility is also built on former Illinois Cement property which was donated to the city. Illinois Cement is proud of our heritage and our 45 years in La Salle and the linois Valley." found time to brew beer at the Alpha Portland Cement Co. site. When the United States entered World War I, the assets were taken over by the projects as the Shedd Aquarium U.S. Alien Property Custodian and production continued under the name of La Salle The site originated as an ideal Portland Cement Company. location for a production facility Then, in 1919, a syndicate of investors purchased the facility and, in turn, sold them to Alpha Portland Cement Company of Easton, Pennsylvania. Alpha operated the plant for 50 years but ceased production in 1970 due to aging equipment, large capital needs and challenging markets. The average workforce of 160 people lost operations and reserves which had been shuttered several years earlier. In 1973-74 the new partnership, named illinois Cement Company, built a modem, state of-the-art "dry process" system at the site with a production capacity of 1,125 tons per day. Since then, the plant has expanded and has been progressively modernized to remain at the cutting edge of technology and energy efficiency. Today, after an $80 million plant expansion project in 2006, it now has a permitted capacity of 3,000 tons per day. While quarrying activities are now based in Dimmick Township, the early years saw limestone required for production being mined from the La Salle Quarry, blasted, crushed and Merchandise Mart in Chicago. because of vast limestone reserves, abundant coal, which provided a fuel source, and access to the famous Rock Island and Illinois Central railways for reaching markets in Chicago and the Midwest. The first company to produce Portland cement at the site was German- American Portland Cement Works, a subsidiary of Portland their jobs. Cementfabrik of Hamburg. Germany. Their product was marketed under the name of In 1972 a joint venture was formed between Centex Corporation of Dallas, Texas