History

Courtesy Wikipedia

The town of Marble was first incorporated in 1899. Marble remains a statutory town within the state of Colorado as of 2023.

The Quarry

The town is noted as the location of a historic Yule Marble Quarry along the mountains that began operations in the late 19th century, and from which the town draws its name. The marble of the quarry is considered to be of exceptional quality and has been used for the Tomb of the Unknowns, as well as for parts of the Lincoln Memorial and civic buildings in San Francisco. It was also used for the construction of the Equitable Building, a historically important early skyscraper in New York City.

The quarry has enjoyed a renaissance since its acquisition in 2004 by Polycor, a Canadian-based dimension stone company. In spite of significant transportation costs, this high-quality stone is now exported in large quantities to Europe and Asia for transformation and use throughout the world, as well as being sold into the US market.

The community is located in a valley of the upper Crystal River along the Elk Mountains, accessible by a paved road from Colorado State Highway 133. Unlike most of Gunnison County, the town is located on the north side of McClure Pass, and is thus somewhat separated geographically from the rest of the county.

As of the census of 2021, there were 180 people; 72 households.