After the dragline had deposited a pile of excavated material, loaders filled trucks which hauled the material to a hill and dumped the load into a sump perhaps 15 to 20 feet deep.  The sump was covered with grizzly bars which could be variably spaced, but typically set at 18" apart.  These prevented large rocks from going through.  Conveyer belts carried material to jaw and cone crushers, washers, and sorting screens which were placed throughout the plant to reduce material to the desired sizes.  Depending on the job requirements, common sizes were 1 ½ -2" septic and river rock, 1", and ½" rock, coarse concrete sand and fine mason sand.  Various mesh sizes of vibrating screens sieved the gravel and sand.  A separate conveyer was set up for oversize rock.  The usual size for ready mix gravel was minus 1 ½", and minus 3/8" size for sand.  Fine sand (minus 3/16" to 1/4") was used for fill and golf course sand traps.  The results of the completed operation were separate piles of aggregate ready to be loaded and delivered.

The proximity of the Iowa Road Builders plant (and later Manatt) to the north made operations very convenient, as sand and gravel trucks could take the west road right into the ready mix plant.  With the closing of the ready mix plant and the diminishing resources at the pit, Hallett began to seriously consider the sale of the land.  Since the mid 1970s various bodies, including the city of Ames and the Story County Conservation Board, had discussed with Hallett the possibility of obtaining the quarry area for recreational use and as a public water resource.  Indeed, Hallett itself had foreseen the potential for future development around the perimeter of the resulting lake after sand and gravel operations ceased, and had purchased the south 40 acres with these thoughts in mind.  As a developer, however, they would have had to install water, sewer and electric lines, curb and gutter - all very costly.  In the end they decided against their proposed residential development.

During its 35-year operation, Hallett excavated 63 (129?) acres to an average depth of 50 feet, for a total of approximately 7,560,000 tons of material.  It is estimated that perhaps 20% of the available material was left in the pit after operations ceased.  Sand and gravel from the quarry went into paving Interstate 35, new highway 30, county and campus roads;  many parking lots and buildings; and covered most area gravel roads.  With interstate construction, operations ran 24 hours, seven days a week.  Many thousand of tons of sand as fill were supplied to the Iowa State Center.  During the winter, sand was also sold for application to icy roads.  Tours of the plant were often given to ISU engineering and geology students.

WATER USE Water continually drained into the lakes, so pumps had to be used.  The pumping bill often amounted to  $12,000 a month.  The drought of 1976 and 1977 affected many Midwest communities, Ames being no exception.  The City had long recognized that the Hallett site was an important supplemental water supply.  In July 1977 water shortage became critical and Hallett agreed to let the City pump water from the lake into the Skunk River channel to recharge the aquifer.  A low-head dam constructed near 13th Street allowed water to pond to a depth of five to six feet.  As reported, “The ponded water successfully recharged the aquifer supplying water to Ames’ wells until early August, when rains brought a return to stream flow and an end to the drought.”  Another example of Hallett cooperation occurred during the flood of 1993 when they loaned a water pump to ISU for pumping out the Hilton Coliseum.	(Photo by Janet Jepeway)

This brings us almost to the present day. The years from 1999 to 2001 were filled with public meetings debating a variety of proposed residential development projects, rezoning, water quality concerns and watershed protection.  Many residents were involved in the Friends of Hallett’s Quarry organization.

The decision by the city to purchase approximately 460 acres for a nature preserve was celebrated by many groups.

Interviews

 Berger, Roger & Kay.  5-12-03.
 Berhow, Mike.  5-26-03.
 Dodds, William E.  5-10-03.
 Jensen, Al.  5-10-03.
 Page, Randy.  1-7-03; 5-17-03.
 Pasley, Robert G.  1-16-03.
 Sewell, Bert.  9-5-02.

(Photo by Margaret Elbert)

Night operation at Hallett Materials

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