Did
you know that almost 100 years ago, there was a
small community near the town of Big Falls called
Granite City? Today, there are just a few signs
that people once lived in this area. In the year
1887, many of the forests in Waupaca County were
being cut down. The timber needed to be hauled to
sawmills and to lumber companies. The lumber companies
needed a railroad track.
A
stone company was happy that the railroad was traveling
near this area. There were large hills which were
made of a rock called granite. This rock was gray,
brown, and red and if it was broken off, shaped
and polished, it could be sold to builders. The
builders would use the granite in buildings in the
cities, and for decoration. The rock was taken out
of an area called a quarry, and the company needed
a way to carry the heavy stone to the cities. The
railroad was a perfect way.
Many
men were hired to work in the granite quarry, and
soon there was a need for more housing in the area.
There was a large log house in which many of them
lived. A grocery store and a saloon were built.
There was a large company office, and much of the
land surrounding the quarry was divided into lots
so that families could build homes there. This small
community became known as Granite City.
After
some time, all the good granite had been shipped
away. There was not enough work for the men to do,
and soon the company shut down the quarry. The families
that lived there could not survive without work.
Many had to move to find other work, and soon the
town of Granite City began to disappear. Today there
is an empty quarry. There are a few clues that there
was once a community there, but the town of Granite
City no longer exists.
Source:
Ghost Towns of Waupaca County, Waupaca, WI: The
Waupaca County Historical Society, 1991.
