You've got to see this !

[Bread&steel]

A most bazaar building ! It's a sand sorting building near the Illinois river in La Salle county, IL. I have more pictures of this...inside and out


Larry

 

[jbaakko]

Looks to be some sort of stamp mill to me.

 

[Bread&steel]

No, it's a sand sorting building for sure

 

[RexHea]

That is a strange looking building. Can you find out more? I am curious about the windows placement and what goes on inside. Sand sorting...I wonder if that is through shaker/screens. Hmmm!

 

[Bread&steel]

more pictures coming up

 

[Bread&steel]

inside pictures

The first and second pictures are titled :

Third Floor....vibrating screens for sand sorting

The third picture is titled :

Second floor...View of dust collection vents

The last picture is titled :

Mezzanine on left...Below floor are concrete and storage bins

 

[conrail92]

Very cool, Looks like someone when a little crazy on the windows. But cool looking building.

 

[RexHea]

Definitely need a dust mask for that place. Guess all the windows were for general lighting.

 

[jbaakko]

I can't find anything to reference it to a stamp mill of any sort, but I can't imagine they'd make a building that huge & open on the interior to just "sort sand". The kind of stamp mill I'm referring to would pound larger chunks into smaller chunks. Though maybe so, now that I google the county:

Citizens of La Salle County have taken advantage of the blessings of mineral wealth that were, and to some extent still are, available to them. This list includes coal, limestone, clay, sand, gravel and silica sand. Silica sand remains an important resource that is marketed worldwide. Coal is one of the minerals that no longer has an economic significance within the confines of La Salle County.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ancestralfootsteps/Footsteps/county_history.htm

I'd imagine there was some "stamping" going on still, to make the sand fine enough.

 

[Bread&steel]

I'm trying to get the drawings of this mill. I think I might try to build it

Larry

 

[Bread&steel]

More info

I'm finding more info. Here are a few more pictures. The long building is the sand draining and drying building. There are two tracks that enter the sorting building on both sides

Larry

 

[rhoward]

Cool photos! So, how long before you will have it scratch built and in place on your layout????? (That could take a bit of work, I think.)

 

[Bread&steel]

It looks to be daunting .....I must think some more

Larry

 

[jbaakko]

Yeah, with that pit around it, I bet its Silica. Heck its not that hard, 4 walls and 4 roof sections, some 3 dozen of so window openings...

 

[Steve B]

An amazing structure for sure

 

[Bread&steel]

It is silica. I have the drawings with dimensions. Had to do some computer gymnastics to get them downloaded. I can't post them because they are 5 meg each ! If I reduce them then you can't read them. I will try to do some tricks

Larry

 

[Bread&steel]

document

Here is just one document. The original is 36 inches X 26 inches and it's a 5 meg file! This is it reduced to 20% You can still make out most of the text.

 

[jbaakko]

Awesome! Now its time to build it!