Davenport History Part III: The Cement King William Dingee made himself very rich by building cement plants. In the early 1900s he owned the Standard Portland Cement Company, which had two cement plants. By 1903, he was looking to build a third. Santa Cruz had been exporting lime since the 1850s, and the cement king wanted to take advantage of the extensive limestone and marble resources in the area. The cement plant was originally going to be built on the Westside of Santa Cruz, in the Escalona area between High Street and Mission Street. Proponents were thrilled at the economic opportunity the plant would bring. They were thwarted by locals who feared the dust, noise, and the ruination of their beautiful town. After a lot of political shenanigans, the cement king instead built his plant 10 miles north in Davenport on San Vicente Creek. Building began in 1905 with 300 men making the road bed to lay track about a mile up San Vicente canyon to the limestone quarry. At the same time the Coast Dairies and Land Company was building the town. At its peak there were over 2,500 workers. The April 18, 1906, earthquake did not damage the new plant or the rails but it created a huge demand for cement to rebuild San Francisco and made laborers scarce and highly coveted. Despite the labor shortage, the plant workers redoubled their efforts and got production of cement going by fall 1906 — one year sooner than planned. By mid-1907 it was producing 3,000 barrels a day. Although Dingees third plant was cranking out cement, a small recession hit the cement business in 1908. The cement king was over extended from buying property all over the country and could not pay his creditors. He ultimately fled to Paris with 20 million dollars but was dragged back by William H. Crocker and two other investors, who ended up with many of Dingees assets including his interest in the Davenport Cement Plant. By 1921 William Dingee was worth less than 120 dollars. For decades the Davenport Cement Plant supplied cement to the western US. Its cement helped build the Panama Canal, dry docks at Pearl Harbor, the Golden Gate Bridge, and accelerated production to help the war efforts in the 1940s. Much of Californias modern transportation and water infrastructure, and many city buildings, coliseums, and airports were built with cement made in Davenport. Like the content? Please like our page and check out our mobile AppTours about the natural and human history of the Santa Cruz coast. One of which is free! mobileranger.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 16:00:02 +0000
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