Lime kilns are used to heat limestone in order to create cement. A seemingly endless vein of pure limestone and the growing demand for its use in road construction, mortar, etc. brought labor, industry and prosperity to Roche Harbor on San Juan Island.
Early kilns, like the first two in Roche Harbor, were built out of stone and heated with firewood. Nearby timberland provided the 192 cords of wood used by the kilns each day. The Tacoma and Roche Harbor Lime Company became the largest limestone plant on the Pacific Coast. It was sold in 1956, along with 4,000 acres and 12 miles of coastline.
Today it is a marina and resort (see Hotel de Haro).
Thought for the Day: Much effort, much prosperity. Euripides
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