Stoneport, Michigan

Stoneport is the historic name for this port for shipping limestone from the Presque Isle Quarry, located immediately adjacent to it. It is one of the largest limestone quarries in the nation, an operation made of two adjacent pits, extending for five miles along the shore of Lake Huron. The quarry produces around 7.5 million tons of limestone a year, used in construction, concrete, and all kinds of industries. It was purchased by LaFarge in 2000, a company that joined with Holcim, in 2015, to become LaFargeHolcim, one of the world’s largest bulk materials companies, operating in 70 countries. The company is based in Switzerland, and specializes in cement, aggregates, and concrete. Limestone is one of the most readily available materials on the planet. The chief value of the quarry here is its proximity to the shores of the Great Lakes, which provide the most inexpensive means of transportation for the material, by freighter or barge, to a large number of industries and cities along its shores.