The Gravel Pits: Part of Maple Grove's Past and Present.

From 1860 until 1936, the area we now know as the gravel pits was mostly farm land. There were no lakes at that time. Did you realize that those present today are actually all manmade lakes and came much, much later? They are a result of mining below the water table. The water quality was so pure the City determined it best not to fill in the lakes, so now we have three additional to enjoy.

Levi Dumas owned property north of Eagle Lake and was the first farmer to begin mining operations on his land around 1936. The trend caught on and eventually A. Lucht, Charles Munn, E. Scherber, Charles Freigheim, Fred Rowe, J.H. Balowin, C.T. Nosler and H.A. Schwappach all began mining their property.

There are six types of gravel mined from the Maple Grove pits for use in sewer system drain fields and decorative ground cover, concrete blocks, block layers, cement and sealcoating asphalt roads.

Today C.S. McCrossan and Tiller Corporation are two local companies with a major presence in the gravel mining area. They own or control a majority of the area, and mining operations are still underway.

At this time approximately 500 of the 2,000 acres have been mined, which means the gravel pits will be a part of Maple Grove's future as well as its past. To learn more about Maple Grove's past and be part of it preserving it for future generations, join the Historical Preservation Society. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. the third Thursday of every month at the Government Center. All are welcome!

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