Pablito1 - 4-24-2011 at 05:36 PM
Hi,
I have been a long time lurker around this forum and fianlly joined.
The article about El Marmol is very interesting to me but I have never been to the actual place. I do have an experience that I would like to
share regarding "marmol".
I am not sure of the year but it was in the late 1960s or maybe 1970. We were at Papa Fernandez camp on a diving trip. Early one morning I saw a
truck parked on the south side of the cantina near the door.
There were several people working on the truck so I went over to see what was going on. This truck was typical of the area during that time frame.
That is except the typical truck had a single rear axel but this truck had 2 rear axels. This truck was ment to haul heavy loads.
On the truck bed was a tremendous piece of marble. It must have been at least 4 feet wide [or more] and 8-9 feet long. The height must to have
been more than 3 feet or so. A large rock to say the least.
What the people were working on was the rear most axel. On the right side where the axel came out of the differental housing somehow the axel had
got bent. It was not a small bend I mean BENT. Something that I didn't understand how it happened then and not now either.
Anyway we went somewhere, diving I suppose and when we returned the truck was gone.
I spoke zero Spanish at that time so for sure I didn't get any information as to where the marble had came from or where they were taking it.
Where could the marble have came from? Not El Marmol because that was shipped to the Pacific. The only other place that I know of is the mine near
Okies Landing. Where were they taking it to? Don't know that either.
Does anyone have any answers??
Regards Pablo
BajaBlanca - 4-24-2011 at 05:55 PM
welcome to Baja Nomads, Pablito.
Sorry I can not answer your question, but I would theorize that maybe some of the marble from el marmol was sold on the side to locals and not all
shipped out ?? and a huge piece like that might have been meant for a cemetary - there are veritable houses at some of them.
David K - 4-24-2011 at 06:01 PM
Hola Pablo,
It was probably onyx from one of the quarries between Gonzaga Bay and El Huerfanito.
The shortest route to civilzation would be north through San Felipe... but the steep 4WD grades south of Puertecitos were probably a barrier to such a
heavy loaded truck?
The better route out would have been south through Calamajue Canyon to El Crucero, then north to Ensenada. No major grades other than El Aguajito near
El Rosario, but the merchant trucks ran the road supplying ranches. The dust bowl at Rancho Chapala was the worst part of the transpeninsular road and
many would prefer the grades south of Puertecitos when heading for La Paz!