fisk quarry preserve

The Fisk Quarry Nature Preserve is located in the old Fisk Quarry at the south end of Isle La Motte. This site was once an active quarry operation that mined grey and black marble during the late 1800's into the early 1900's. It is now returning back to nature with many of the cuts filled in with water and overgrown with trees and shrubs. There are many types of birds, frogs and small animals living in the preserve. There are quite a number of exposed fossils that can be seen in the rock face and on the floor of the quarry. All of the heavy machinery has been gone for quite sometime but you can still see the large bolts that mounted the cranes to the edge of the quarry face, and in the center there is a line of hundreds of hand drilled holes where they would break off the slabs of marble. There are also some explanatory signs if you come in off the road nearest to the Old Fisk Farm. The quarry preserve is connected to the Goodsell Ridge Preserve by a series of trails. There are some steep drops and care should be exercised if attempting to climb some of the rock formations, there are also deep pools filled with green water so be aware of your surroundings when hiking.