Todd Industries mine, near Coalinga, California

The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1961 reported production and shipments of fiber by Todd Industries, Inc., "from a mine in San Benito Co., near Coalinga," California; the yearbook for 1962 listed Todd Industries under Fresno County, both among the companies reporting production and shipments and among the two companies that "discontinued mining operations" that year.^1,2 For 1964 the yearbook reported that "a new mill was placed in operation by the United States Asbestos Co. (formerly a Todd Industries operation) in Coalinga," with a capacity "rated to exceed 25,000 tons of fiber per year."³ Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, reported in September 1964 that the company was "scheduled to put its new Coalinga, California, asbestos mill into full production September 12th, 1964."⁴ The same issue said the firm's deposits lay "in the central area of a 65 square mile serpentine mass in western Fresno and eastern San Benito Counties."⁴ It quoted the company's chairman, James Stockman: "While U. S. Asbestos was the fourth and last company to begin operations there, by locating in the central area and stripping off 10 feet of overburden they found a superior grade ore."⁴

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.¹

Location

Year by year

Every statement about this mine in the documents, in each document's own words, by the year it is about.

1961

• Worked: “production and shipments of fiber were reported ... by Todd Industries, Inc., from a mine in San Benito Co., near Coalinga” (Todd Industries, Inc.), p. 2¹

1962

• Worked: “reported production and shipments: ... Todd Industries, Inc., Fresno County” (Todd Industries, Inc.), p. 2²
• Closed: “discontinued mining operations ... Todd Industries, Inc., in Fresno County” (Todd Industries, Inc.), p. 2²

1964

• Description: “The firm's deposits are located in the central area of a 65 square mile serpentine mass in western Fresno and eastern San Benito Counties” (United States Asbestos Company), p. 10⁴
• Opened: “While U. S. Asbestos was the fourth and last company to begin operations there, by locating in the central area and stripping off 10 feet of overburden they found a superior grade ore” (United States Asbestos Company), said by James Stockman, Chairman, United States Asbestos Company, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 10⁴
• Mill: “a new mill was placed in operation by the United States Asbestos Co. (formerly a Todd Industries operation) in Coalinga” (United States Asbestos Co.), p. 2³
• Ownership: “United States Asbestos Co. (formerly a Todd Industries operation)” (United States Asbestos Co.), p. 2³
• Mill: “Plant capacity was rated to exceed 25,000 tons of fiber per year” (United States Asbestos Co.), p. 2³
• Mill: “UNITED STATES ASBESTOS COMPANY is scheduled to put its new Coalinga, California, asbestos mill into full production September 12th, 1964” (United States Asbestos Company), p. 10⁴

Other names

Documents call this mine “mine in San Benito Co., near Coalinga”, “United States Asbestos Co. mill (formerly a Todd Industries operation) in Coalinga”.

See also

• United States Asbestos Co.: the company's history, documents, people, products and plants
• Asbestos exposure sites in California
• All asbestos mines

References

1. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1961 (January 1, 1962), p. 2.
2. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1962 (January 1, 1963), p. 2.
3. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1964 (January 1, 1965), p. 2.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1964, September 1964 (September 1, 1964), p. 10.