Cemex

All around the Portland area you will see beautiful stone walls. The rock is basalt, which came out of the ground molten, about 15 million years ago, covering much of Washington and parts of Oregon and Idaho. It’s the rock you see the most around here and what makes the rocky walls of the Columbia Gorge. (Luckily the Columbia River Gorge is protected from mining by an innovative scenic overlay) Basalt is usually gray, but some has a beautiful slight purple tint.
That rock comes from this quarry. I needed about 25 tons. We visited the quarry with the contractor’s dump truck. It’s a safety zone — hard hats, safety glasses, steel toe boots. We were able to mark with spray paint specific boulders in the pile that had the character and shapes we were seeking. Then they were loaded by very large machines.
It was awesome to see some giant boulders which are normally used to make ocean breakwaters, 8 – 15 feet on a side. There are also businesses adjacent to the quarry that split the rock into about 2 – 6 inch sections for making walls.
The advantage to going to the quarry is that the rock hasn’t been driven to round by being transported and loaded multiple times. They also have larger boulders. Standard terminology includes «3 man boulders», a little bigger than 18 inches on a side and 3 – 4 foot, generally requiring a machine to move. Phone ahead for hours and procedures. It’s a bargain too, maybe $ 30 a ton.
I have also purchased material, including split rock, at their more retail outlets, Pacific Rockery.
A great area resource for Northwest specific stone, guaranteed to last for at least another 15 million years!

We have lost 2 windows to them. When I have called to tell them, both times they have told me it is against the law to have an uncovered load, so the truck must have been from another company picking up gravel. Both times I have taken the truck name right off of the drivers door. Mmmmm, makes me wonder.