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Sigurd Gypsum and Plaster In Utah

This page was last updated on July 10, 2025.

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Overview

Operation of the gypsum mining and plaster manufacturing at Sigurd began in 1908, and almost immediately, due to purity of the Sigurd gypsum, the adjacent manufacture of Keene's cement started.

"The United States Gypsum Plant, a one-story stucco building capped by three tall smokestacks, was erected in 1909. An aerial tramway carries gypsum from the mine, across the valley, to the plant, where it is manufactured into plaster. Because of its color-retaining properties, plaster from this plant was selected for use in the first colored, artificial travertine, presented in exteriors and statues at the San Diego Fair in 1915; for palaces, statues, and buildings at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915; and for a majority of plaster works at the San Francisco Golden Gate Exposition in 1939." (Utah, A Guide To The State, 1940, WPA, page 334)

In a summary of the gypsum industry in Utah in the August 11, 1918 issue of the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper, the following was included, describing the early work being done at Sigurd.

The gypsum quarries used by the Sigurd companies were at first within one or two miles of the plaster plants, within easy distance for transportation by early teams and wagons. But as the plants grew, and as hauling technology changed from horses and teams to early motor trucks, new quarries were opened in a somewhat continuous line to the northeast. Current production continues from quarries that are about seven miles northeast of the U. S. Gypsum plant, with access being provided by a well-maintained system of county roads that roughly parallel, about a mile south, today's Interstate 70.

Two Locations, Four Plants

At Sigurd, there were two locations, with two plants built at each of the two locations.

• Jumbo Plaster (1908-1932); replaced by U. S. Gypsum (1948-2025)
• American Keene Cement (1908-1925); replaced by Western Gypsum (1948-1956); then by Bestwall (1956-1965); then by Georgia Pacific (1965-2002)

Jumbo Plaster and Cement

"Sigurd also has the Jumbo Plaster Mills, which ship large quantities of plaster to the various cities of Utah, as well as to San Francisco, Portland, Tacoma and Seattle. Land plaster is also manufactured in large quantities at Sigurd and shipped to all parts of the Northwest and to California. The supply of gypsum owned by the company is practically unlimited, located conveniently to the factory, and tests have shown it to be over 99 per cent pure." ("Utah Since Statehood, Historical And Biographical," by Noble Warrum, Editor, 1919, page 285)

From the book, "Utah's Mining Industry," published in 1967 the the Utah Mining Association.

March 7, 1908
"The Jumbo Plaster and Cement company, with headquarters at Richfield, Sevier county, is incorporated by articles filed Friday at the office of the secretary of state. The company is capitalized at $100,000 in shares of the par value of ten cents each. Officers are: John F. Chidester, president; Ferdinand Erickson, vice president; H C. Poulson, secretary-treasurer. These, with R. W. Sevey, James Christiansen, H. B. Hayes and Lorenzo Neilson, constitute the directorate. The company will engage in the manufacture of Portland cement and will exploit a group of claims in an unorganized mining district east and north of Sigurd, Sevier county, known as the Jumbo gypsum claims." (Salt Lake Herald, March 7, 1908)

December 31, 1908
From the January 1, 1909 issue of the Salt Lake Herald.

August 5, 1909
The Jumbo Plaster mill was producing 50 to 150 tons of plaster every day. The plaster was being hauled to the railroad siding at Sigurd, but a spur to the plaster mill was to be constructed. The major expense was a bridge across the Sevier River. The distance was about 1.5 miles. A gravity light rail tramway was also to be built to move the raw gypsum from the quarry to the mill. At the present time, both the raw gypsum, and the finished plaster were being hauled by team and wagon, which is too expensive. The railroad spur and the tramway would lower transportation costs considerably. (Richfield Reaper, August 5, 1909)

(This plant of the Jumbo company was on the same railroad spur, about a half mile north of the Keene's Cement plant, on the north side of the river bridge.)

January 20, 1910
"Sigurd, 10 miles north of Richfield is the scene of considerable activity. This is the location of the Jumbo plaster and cement mill, where a new tramway and a railroad spur of one and a half miles are being constructed, to connect with the main line and to do away with the wagon haul from the gypsum deposit in the hill to the mill. These improvements necessitate the expenditure of $25,000. It is expected to have both the tramway and the spur completed and in operation by Feb 1. The capacity of the Jumbo mill is 100 tons of plaster a day. Near by is the Utah Keene's Cement company which turns out dally about 40 tons of high grade cement, used in the fine arts. Mr. Erickson says the gypsum deposits near Sigurd are really wonderful in both richness and in extent. Dikes 25 to 50 feet in width almost pure gypsum, may be traced for five miles in length. The Jumbo company has taken up 28 quarter sections covering the best of this ground. The new improvements at the plant will greatly facilitate operations." (Deseret News, January 20, 1910)

February 5, 1910
"The new switch from the Sevier branch at Sigurd to the Jumbo plaster mill on the east side of the valley has been completed this week and cars are now delivered to the doors of the warehouse. The damage done to the canal by the collapse of the retaining wall has been repaired and the mill is now running full blast, turning out five cars of plaster per day. Work is being pushed on the tramway from the mill to the quarry for the hauling of the gypsum to the mill, which will greatly reduce operating expenses." (Salt Lake Tribune, February 5, 1910)

May 12, 1910
"The tramway from the quarry to the mill is now completed and the cars for carrying the crude gypsum will be here this week." (Richfield Reaper, May 12, 1910)

January 27, 1932
The entire plant of the Jumbo Plaster & Cement company was destroyed by fire in the early morning hours of Wednesday January 27, 1932. All of the structures were wood, with the main building being approximately 400 feet long and contained the mill and warehouse where large quantities of plaster was stored. All buildings were destroyed except the offices. All machinery and equipment inside the buildings was destroyed. Total damage was reported as $250,000. The loss of the machinery was covered by insurance, but the loss of the buildings was not. Work had been suspended all during the previous week, so there would not have been a source for a fire to start, except by arson. The fire also destroyed three railroad boxcars that were loaded and ready to ship. People on the scene during the fire, and on the morning after, stated that the smell of gasoline was very strong. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 27, 1932; Richfield Reaper, January 28, 1932; Salt Lake Tribune, January 28, 1932)

(On August 20, 1931, a sudden storm and flash flood brought large boulders down into the canal that supplied water to the power house of the plaster company, destroying large parts of the canal and causing $5000 damage to the power equipment of the plaster company. The equipment damaged was the water wheel that powered the drive shafts of the plaster mill crushers.)

February 1, 1932
The annual meeting of stockholders of the Jumbo plaster company was held in Sigurd, just four days after the fire. The decision to rebuild was unanimous, with statements made that funds were available, and orders in-hand for continued production. (Richfield Reaper, February 7, 1932)

(There is no reference in later newspaper news items about the Jumbo plaster plant being rebuilt. In September 1934, a news item mentioned that both the Jumbo plaster plant, and the adjacent Keene cement plant were not at present in operation, restating that the Jumbo plant had burned "a few years ago." In May 1934, Utah Senator William King had attempted to add an amendment to the Federal Reconstruction Finance Act of 1932 that would have allowed a $75,000 loan to rebuild the Jumbo plaster plant, but the amendment did not pass because it was not in the interest of the national defense. In March 1935, another attempt was made to obtain a Reconstruction Finance loan, with the help and written support of various civic clubs, chambers of commerce and business associations in Utah. The state advisory committee approved the application, which was then forwarded to Washington D.C., with Utah's Senators and Representative making statements of support. The RFC loan of $75,000 was approved in April 1936. The Board of Directors and officers of the Jumbo company decided to not obtain the loan, and in November 1936 agreed to the sale of the company's assets, mainly the gypsum quarries and associated mining claims, to the United States Gypsum Corporation. On November 28, 1936 as special stockholders meeting was held to approve the sale to U. S. Gypsum.)

United States Gypsum

February 4, 1937
The sale of the property and interests of the Jumbo Plaster and Cement company to the United States Gypsum Corporation had been completed, and the money deposited. The company was preparing to petition the court to dissolve the corporation. There was speculation within the local community that U. S. Gypsum "would hold the property rather than develop it." (Richfield Reaper, February 4, 1937)

November 14, 1946
The Board of Directors of the United States Gypsum Corporation approved the construction of a new gypsum plant at Sigurd. The new plant was part of a larger post-war expansion of the company, and would be an all-new construction, "having nothing to do with other plants in the area." The new plant was to be on 920 acres purchased in 1936, and would be "thoroughly modern and equipped with vastly improved machinery." The new plant would be identical to a similar plant recently completed at Heath, Montanan, and would "manufacture plaster of all types, including cement, gauging, molding, Keene's cement, industrial plaster and gypsum board embracing Sheetrock, Rothlath and sheathing." (Salt Lake Tribune, November 15, 1946)

(The U. S. Gypsum plaster plant at Nephi, purchased in 1938, would remain in operation with the completion of the new plant at Sigurd.)

(Adjacent to the site where U. S. Gypsum was to build its new plaster plant, was the newly completed plaster plant of the Western Gypsum Company, completed in April 1948. The president of that company was Sidney H. Eliason who was also was Pacific Coast district manager for U. S. Gypsum, having been with that company for 18 years. He apparently resigned his position with U. S. Gypsum to organize the Western company in January 1947. It can be speculated that Eliason, in his position with the U. S. company saw a potential market within the Intermountain West, that the upper management of U. S. Gypsum as the world's largest manufacturer of plaster products, did not. This was likely due to their focus, from their headquarters in Chicago, on the post-war national and international markets. But as soon as Western was seen as a competitor, the U. S. company moved in, developing a resource in the Sigurd gypsum deposits they had owned since 1936.)

December 20, 1947
"Building has just begun at the U. S. Gypsum." (Deseret News, December 20, 1947)

February 15, 1948
"Foundations and earth work for the U. S. Gypsum plant at Sigurd, Sevier county, were completed this week by Ellis W. Barker Co. The firm has contracted to complete concrete work in several weeks. Steel work on the plant already has begun." (Salt Lake Tribune, February 15, 1948)

May 3, 1948
"The United States Gypsum Company started the first plaster board through the new mill at Sigurd Monday [Monday May 3rd]. Thus, the two modern gypsum manufacturing plants in Sevier county are now producing plaster board and other related products. Western Gypsum Company, also located at Sigurd, started operation three weeks ago and will soon be on a 24 hour schedule. Although R. F. Engel, construction engineer at the U. S. Gypsum plant, had no comment to make about the new unit, it has been reliably reported that test production started Monday and that within two hours after the first board was started through the processing machines perfect board was being produced." "With one of the world’s finest gypsum deposits located at Sigurd within a few hundred yards of the plant, the U. S. Gypsum ironically had to import gypsum from Fort Dodge, Iowa to start production. Eighty tons were shipped by rail because some of the primary processing facilities have not been finished. These phases of the plant should be completed by Saturday and full production will start in the very near future." (Richfield Reaper, May 6, 1948, Thursday)

(In January 1952, United States Gypsum closed its plaster plant at Nephi, Utah, 65 miles north of Sigurd. The gypsum deposits near Nephi had played out and the gypsum deposits near Sigurd were more extensive and plentiful. The Nephi plaster mill never did manufacture wallboard, which is the direction the gypsum market was headed.)

(Railroad service ended in April 1983 after the Thistle slide. All shipments since then have been by truck, and with Interstate 70 just 2.5 miles away, also more cost-effective and convenient.)

On April 28, 2025, USG idled its wallboard production line at its Sigurd, Utah location due to a difficult business decision. The Richfield Reaper reported that USG Sigurd halted production.

American Keene Cement

Keene's Cement Plaster (or just Keene Cement) is a hard, white, high-strength gypsum plaster that was patented in 1838 by Richard Wynn Keene. It's known for its ability to take a high polish and is often used for ornamental work and in areas requiring a durable finish. It's a type of gypsum cement, and is sometimes referred to as Martin's cement or Parian cement ("Parian" being marble quarried from the Greek island of Paros).

Key characteristics of Keene cement:

• It is known for its bright white color when dry, which is why it's often used for decorative purposes.
• It is manufactured from pure gypsum that has been heated to create regular plaster. An alum solution is added, and the product is heated again at a much higher temperature. The alum acts as an accelerator, helping it set quickly and finely.
• It sets more slowly than regular plaster of Paris, but it also produces less heat and expansion during the process.
• It can be used to create ornamental detailed moldings, cornices, and other decorative elements.
• It can be polished to resemble marble and used for decorative features.
• It was often used in areas like hospitals, stores, and railroad stations where a tough, durable plaster was needed.
• It can be used to create moldings because it can be polished and made suitable to create these architectural details.
• It can be used to create frescoes and sculptures, and for the restoration of these art forms.

"Sigurd, Sevier County, has the only Keene cement mill in Utah, and the only mill of this class west of Kansas. Consequently, the Utah Keene cement has a wide market through the states of the Northwest and the Pacific Coast. Thousands of tons of this cement are shipped annually to San Francisco for use in street improvements and the construction of fine buildings. The columns in the Hotel Utah, at Salt Lake City, are finished with the Sigurd Keene cement and visitors have remarked upon their excellent appearance." ("Utah Since Statehood, Historical And Biographical," by Noble Warrum, Editor, 1919, page 285)

1908
The processing of gypsum in Utah originally began in 1908 at Sigurd, utilizing the almost unlimited supply of rock nearby. The firm operating at Sigurd was known as the American Keene Cement Company which was ultimately absorbed by the Western Gypsum Company. Western Gypsum completed a new modern plant at the Sigurd site in 1948." ("Utah's Economic Patterns," by Elroy Nelson, University of Utah Press, 1956, page 182)

July 20, 1908
Representatives of a Keene cement company in Kansas visited the gypsum deposits at Sigurd. A blast hole 20 feet deep was drilled and 100 tons of gypsum was blasted to reveal the deeper levels of the deposit. The visitors took samples back to their plant and recently sent comments that they were "astonished" as to the purity of the gypsum. Such purity ensures the best quality of Keene cement. "Gypsum is by no means a rare article in these United States, as there are large deposits in many states of the Union, but the Sevier valley gypsum is purer than any ever seen in the country, and herein lies its chief value." (Richfield Reaper, July 20, 1908; Salt Lake Herald, July 21, 1908)

"This country uses between five to six hundred tons daily, and the demand for this material is a very large and growing one. About 90 per cent of the product is imported from Europe." "At first sight it looks like white marble. It is not nearly so heavy, but is capable of high polish, and in the hands of first-class workman it can be made to look like the finest grades of Italian marble or Mexican onyx." (Salt Lake Herald, July 21, 1908)

October 28, 1908
From the October 28, 1908 issue of the Salt Lake Herald newspaper.

February 11, 1909
"The long promised Keene's cement plant is at last under construction. Work has been commenced this week and a gang of carpenters and masons are at work laying the foundations and erecting the big mill building. This will be situated to the south of the big plaster mill of the Jumbo company at Sigurd. The present company will only produce about 30 tons per day for the present but the mill will be constructed so as to increase the output to 100 tons per day when the demand is sufficient to warrant that amount. The cement company will get its crude gypsum from the Jumbo company and a contract has been made between the two companies for the delivery of the gypsum at the kilns." (Richfield Reaper, February 11, 1909)

March 4, 1909
The Utah Keene Cement Company filed its articles of incorporation with the Salt Lake County Clerk on Thursday March 4, 1909. (Salt Lake Tribune, March 5, 1909)

October 5, 1909
The plant of the Utah Keene Cement company began operation on Tuesday October 5, 1909. A special day of celebration in the town of Sigurd accompanied the event. The plant building had dimensions of 270 by 65 feet. (Richfield Reaper, October 7, 1909)

January 12, 1911
On Tuesday January 10, 1911, the stockholders of the Utah Keene Cement company met and approved an increase in its stock from $250,000 to $1 million. The increased stock was to be used to finance the expansion of the Keene cement mill at Sigurd in response to a contract with the American Art Marble company of Philadelphia to purchase several cars of Keene cement, under a contract to sell at least 100 tons of Keene's cement per day. After being impressed by several samples of the Sigurd product, and after unsuccessfully attempting to build its own mill in Utah, the Philadelphia company agreed to put $300,000 into the treasury of the Utah company, and to finance the construction of a new marble mill, and a new plaster mill, if the adjacent Jumbo Plaster mill could not be purchased. The result of transaction was that there would be four properties: the Keene's mill at Sigurd (60 tons per day; a plaster mill at Sigurd (300 tons per day); a marble mill at Sigurd (2,000 square feet per day); a Keene's mill in Kansas (100 tons per day). (Richfield Reaper, January 12, 1911)

(Later research found that the new plaster mill was not built, nor was the adjacent Jumbo Plaster mill purchased. In later years, references were to the Jumbo Plaster mill and the Keene cement mill as being separate enterprises.)

January 21, 1911
The interests of the Keene Cement company at Sigurd have been consolidated with those of the American Keene Cement company. "The name of the new concern will be the American Keene Cement company, and it is stated by the representatives of the company that their intentions are to erect immediately a new plaster mill and marble mill at Sigurd, and also to erect a Keene Cement plant at Medicine Lodge, Kan., where the company has some 400 acres of ground." (Deseret News, January 21, 1911)

February 13, 1911
At a special stockholders meeting on February 13, 1911, the name of the corporation, Utah Keene Cement Company, was officially changed to be the American Keene Cement Company. (Richfield Reaper, February 14, 1911)

(Throughout 1913, 1914, 1915, in March and April of each year, the American Keene Cement Company was shown as being delinquent in paying their annual corporate license fee to the State of Utah.)

March 25, 1915
"Sevier valley has the only Keene cement plant in the state of Utah, and there is no other Keene cement mill west of Kansas. Therefore, the Utah Keene Cement is supplied to all markets of the northwest and California, as well as our own State. Many thousands of tons are being shipped to San Francisco for use in their fine buildings. It has been found to be a superior article for finishing bathrooms and toilets, and is gaining favor in the markets every day. The Keene cement company point with pride to the excellent appearance of the fine finish of the columns of the new Hotel Utah, which were made from Keene cement from our Utah mill. The Jumbo plaster mill and the Keene Cement Co. are situated at Sigurd." (Richfield Reaper, March 25, 1915)

February 26, 1916
The Keene cement mill at Sigurd was leased to the Utah Potash Company, to produce 600 tons of potash per week (about two carloads per day), processing alunite from the Belknap area. The lease was a temporary measure until the potash company could build its own mill to process the "immense deposits" found in the Belknap area. (Richfield Reaper, February 26, 1916)

(There was no further reference to this effort by the Utah Potash company, which was among the several companies formed to develop the potash industry in Utah, extracting potash from the large deposits of alunite found in the Marysvale area, to replace the German product no longer available due to World War I in Europe.)

(Read more about the Marysvale alunite industry)

(In March 1917, the American Keene Cement company sued Lee K. Forsyth, doing business as the Utah Potash company, for non-payment of $3,665.78, being the amount of the lease which was signed by the two parties on December 15, 1915. -- Richfield Reaper, March 31, 1917)

(Competition for the Keene's Cement plant at Sigurd came in March 1916 when the Nephi Plaster & Manufacturing company completed its own Keene's Cement plant, with the capacity of "hundreds of tons" per month. The Nephi company was better organized, and had the added notoriety of having furnished so much of the plaster for the recent expositions in both San Diego, at 100 percent, and San Francisco, at 80 percent.)

April 12, 1917
The property of the American Keene Cement Company was sold in a Sheriff's sale on the steps of the Sevier County courthouse. The sale was the result of a suit filed by the State Bank of Sevier against the American Keene Cement Company. Included in the sale was 3.14 acres, "together with kilns, buildings, machinery and fixtures and appurtenances on said tract of land," also 14 mining claims owned by the company, along with undivided half interest in the railroad spur from the D&RG Railway at or near Sigurd to the mill of the American Keene Cement Company. (Richfield Reaper, March 24, 1917, and daily notices after that)

(The other half interest in the railroad spur was held by the Jumbo Plaster company.)

March 6, 1920
"Sigurd Keene Cement Plant To Resume Operations. -- A company has been organized and incorporated under the name of Natural Product Co., to resume the operation of the Keene Cement plant at Sigurd on a larger scale. The officers of the company are L. W. Robins of Salt Lake City, president; Lorin Woolley of Bountiful, secretary; Geo. Blud. a banker of Preston, Idaho, treasurer; A. J. Fillmore of Richfield, R. X. Jensen of Sigurd and D. W. Adamson, directors. Additional machinery which is expected at the plant from St. Louis very soon, will he installed to increase the output over the previous capacity. A new process, recently patented by R. N. Jensen, D. W. Adamson and A. J. Fillmore, will be used, the process consisting of a very simple treatment of gypsum and alunite rock." (Richfield Reaper, March 6, 1920)

March 28, 1920
"Utah gypsum deposits will be developed by the Utah Natural Products company, according to the statement of L. W. Robins, president of the organization. The company has erected at Sigurd, Utah, a fireproof plant. Plans have been made to manufacture cement by the Keene process, which officials of the company say materially reduces the price of production. Compression and tensile tests of the Keene cement have proved that this product has a superior quality, it is said. In the near future the company plans to manufacture ten or twelve products which are widely used. Materials for these products are available in the vicinity of the plant. Contracts for the quarrying of the gypsum have been let, according to Mr. Robbins, and work will begin immediately. George H. Budd la treasurer of the company." (Salt Lake Tribune, March 28, 1920)

February 16, 1922
"The American Gypsum Co., an organization incorporated under the laws of the state of Utah has completed arrangements to erect a large and strictly modern mill in Sigurd for the purpose of exploiting the large mineral deposits there for manufacturing Keene cement and all sorts of Gypsum products. Vice-President Geo. E. Budd and M. E. Waddouug, of the Intermountain Building and Loan association were on the grounds Monday accompanying Secretary H. C. Hicks of the State Securities commission, who was delegated by the commission to appraise the company's holdings in order to act on the proposition of the American Gypsum Co. to float a bond issue the money raised to be used in developing the gypsum deposits and erecting the mill." (Richfield Reaper, February 16, 1922)

April 6, 1922
"The American Gypsum company, successors to the Utah Natural Products company, commenced operations at their mill on Friday, whether the mill will run permanently is not yet ascertained." (Richfield Reaper, April 6, 1922)

November 23, 1922
"The American Gypsum Company has begun operations again and if reports are true, the concern has been bought by parties who will finance it and make it a paying concern. A force of men are now working, repairing the kilns and burning rock preparatory to making Keene cement." (Richfield Reaper, November 23, 1922)

November 30, 1922
"E. J. Klemm of Salt Lake City, who has recently purchased large interests in the American Gypsum company property here, was at the mill during the week supervising the work and looking after matters pertaining to the company. He returned to Salt Lake City on Saturday." (Richfield Reaper, November 30, 1922)

April 8, 1923
"Foreseeing the demand for Keene's cement and plaster as well as other gypsum products, the American Cement and Plaster company has taken over all the assets and business of the American Gypsum company, formerly operating at Sigurd, Utah, on the Denver & Rio Grande Western railroad. The company owns clear title to 2200 acres of what is said to be the highest grade gypsum in the United States and also twenty acres of alunite. Over 3,000,000 tons of this gypsum, 99 per cent pure, can be mined above ground and over 250,000 tons of alunite. The manufacturing plant of the company consist of a mill building 284 feet by 40 feet. Concrete and steel have been used throughout. The plant is being equipped at present to manufacture 160 tons of Keene's cement and plaster daily. At present the mill has a capacity of about 400 tons per month. Gypsum at present is hauled from the quarry to the plant, a distance of about 6000 feet, by auto trucks. When operations reach their maximum the company plans a gravity aerial tramway." (Salt Lake Tribune, April 8, 1923)

August 13, 1925
The State Bank of Sevier sued the American Keene Cement Company to take action to "quiet title" and seize the 2-1/2 acres of mill property and 14 mining claims held by the company. The following defendants were included within the summons, as published in the August 13, 1925 issue of the Richfield Reaper newspaper.

• American Keene Cement Company, a now dissolved Delaware corporation. (together with John Christensen, Henry Poulson, Henry McCullough, R. N. Jensen, J. H. Erickson, Clarke Pancoast, S. D. Townsend, and such unknown persons as comprised the Board of Directors of said company.)
• American Keene Cement Company, a now dissolved Utah corporation, formerly known as Utah Keene's Cement Company. (together with H. B. Wall, Homer C. Bloom, Halstein DeHaven Bright, Benjamin F. Bickel, Claire Pencoast, and such unknown persons as comprised the Board of Directors of said company.)
• Lee K. Forsythe, formerly doing business as Utah Potash Company.
• A. Veile, George C. Morrison, formerly doing business as Utah Natural Products, a now dissolved Utah corporation, formerly known as Pioneer Sales Corporation and Pioneer Realty Company. (together with L. W. Robbins, G. E. Ellsworth, L. N. Ellsworth, George N. Budd, and such unknown persons as comprised the Board of Directors of said company.)
• American Gypsum Company, a now dissolved Utah corporation. (together with G. E. Ellsworth, L. N. Ellsworth, Ed Butterworth, George H. Budd, George McLean, John G. Ellis, Perry B. Fuller, and such unknown persons as comprised the Board of Directors of said company.)
• American Cement Plaster Company, a Utah corporation, and its trustee Columbia Trust Company.
• Utah Potash Company, a now dissolved Utah corporation. (together with W. L. Phelps, W. M. Scudder, Timothy Majonnier, F. A. Miller, and such unknown persons as comprised the Board of Directors of said company.)
• J. B. Ehrsam and Sons Manufacturing Company, a Kansas corporation.
• Salt Lake Mattress and Manufacturing Company, a Utah corporation.
• Jumbo Plaster and Cement Company, a Utah corporation

May 22, 1936
Sevier County sold a portion of the former American Keene Cement property to W. L. Payne for $2,030.88, the amount of back taxes owed on the property. The property sold did not have any improvements or buildings on it. (Richfield Reaper, May 28, 1936)

August 13, 1936
The District Court was asked to appoint a receiver for the American Keene Cement company, also that the property be sold at auction for the amount of $12,906.86, the amount of a claim that was said to be past due. (Richfield Reaper, August 13, 1936)

January 15, 1937
The property and assets of the American Keene Cement company were sold at a sheriff's auction on the steps of the Sevier County court house on January 15, 1937. (Richfield Reaper, December 24, 1936, with daily legal notices after that)

(There were occasional advertisements for the American Keene Cement company as late as January 1941.)

(A picnic was held for all employees of the American Keene Cement company on Saturday March 13, 1943.)

Western Gypsum Company

September 4, 1946
"Recent acquisition of the present American Keene Cement and Plaster Co. plant at Sigurd, Sevier county, by Sidney H. Eliason, former Salt Lake resident, and W. S. Mole. Chicago, was announced Tuesday. Plant and operation will cost $1,500,000, including $800,000 for the plant itself, it was announced. When ready for operation the new concern is to be called the Western Gypsum Co., and will produce gypsum lath and wallboard. It is expected to be completed by the spring of 1947." Mr. Eliason was Pacific Coast district manager for U. S. Gypsum, having been with the company for 18 years. (Salt Lake Tribune, September 4, 1946)

January 30, 1947
The Western Gypsum Company was incorporated in Utah on January 30, 1947. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 31, 1947)

May 25, 1947
The Western Gypsum company was building an all-new wallboard plant adjacent to the old American Keene Cement building, which itself was being fully modernized. The new wallboard plant was to be 800 feet long. Western Gypsum was also building a new power house. (Salt Lake Tribune, May 25, 1947)

(The United States Gypsum, in the former Jumbo Plaster plant, was already in place at this time.)

April 12, 1948
The wallboard plant of the Western Gypsum company went into production on Monday April 12, 1948. The event was witnessed by a party of dignitaries that included the president of D&RGW railroad and the Chairman and president of Certainteed Products Corp., which financed the building of the new plant. (Salt Lake Tribune, April 13, 1948)

Bestwall Gypsum

(In July 1956, Certainteed spun off the gypsum wallboard products of its Western Gypsum Company subsidiary into a new subsidiary called Bestwall Gypsum Company. This was done to consolidate Western Gypsum's products to make better use of a newly acquired large gypsum deposit in Nova Scotia. The discovery of this large deposit enabled Certainteed to offer gypsum products on the East Coast.)

July 1, 1956
Bestwall Gypsum company took over the operation of the gypsum and paper divisions of Certainteed Products Corporation. (Los Angeles Times, November 7, 1956)

(From July 17 to September 24 the workers at the Western Gypsum plant in Sigurd were on strike. After 70 days, the strike was settled giving them 13-1/2 cents more per hour.)

December 30, 1956
Bestwall Gypsum Company filed its articles of incorporation to register to do business in Utah. (Salt Lake Tribune, December 30, 1956)

December 31, 1956
Western Gypsum Company, a Delaware corporation, sold its property to Bestwall Gypsum Company, a Maryland corporation. (Sevier County Recorder, Parcel 2-S12-2)

Georgia Pacific Corporation

1965
Certainteed Products sold its Bestwall Gypsum division to Georgia Pacific in 1965, becoming the Bestwall Gypsum Division of Georgia Pacific. (Salina Sun, August 19, 1982)

May 1965
Bestwall Gypsum Company merged with Georgia Pacific Corporation, becoming the Bestwall Gypsum Division of Georgia Pacific. Bestwall Gypsum had plants in several states, including the wallboard and plaster plant in Sigurd, Utah. Officials said one share of Bestwall common stock outstanding will be exchanged for one share of Georgia-Pacific preferred stock. Bestwall manufactures gypsum products, including wallboard, lath, plasters, and decorative materials. Georgia Pacific manufactured paper, plywood, chemicals and lumber. The value of the stock transaction was reported as $93.6 million. (Richfield Reaper, May 6, 1965; Deseret News, May 8, 1965)

(Georgia Pacific, from three recycled paper plants, was the sole source of the paper facing used in wallboard production by Bestwall Gypsum. At the time, Bestwall operated 10 wallboard plants and three joint compound plants, along with two plants that produced gypsum core material for fireproof doors.)

1982
Georgia Pacific’s quarry site was about nine miles northeast of the plant at Sigurd. (Salina Sun, August 19, 1982)

June 2001
Production of the wallboard plant at Sigurd was paused in June 2001. "Georgia-Pacific Corp. has announced plant closures and indefinite curtailments equaling approximately 45 percent of the company's gypsum wallboard production capacity in the United States and Canada. Based on analysis of its gypsum wallboard production capacity, Georgia-Pacific will close wallboard plants in Savannah; Long Beach, California; and Winnipeg, Canada. The company also will indefinitely idle commodity wallboard production lines at Acme, Texas; Sigurd, Utah; and Blue Rapids, Kansas; and reduce operations at its remaining 13 wallboard production facilities to a maximum five-day work schedule for as long as current market conditions exist." (Atlanta Business Journal, June 31, 2001)

(In 2000, Georgia Pacific acquired Fort James Corporation, and its consumer brands of Brawny, Quilted Northern and Dixie. After pausing wallboard production in a limited number of its Bestwall plants in mid 2001, Georgia Pacific stock reached its peak, then began a slow slide in value until late 2002 when it fell to its lowest of less than half of its peak.)

June 30, 2002
"Sigurd plant closing. -- Ten Sevier County residents will lose their jobs on June 30, when the Georgia Pacific plaster mill in Sigurd shuts down because of changing market conditions in the gypsum industry. Georgia Pacific believed its western customers will be better served by more technologically advanced plants. The Sigurd operation has been in business since the early 1900s and was acquired by Georgia Pacific as part of the Bestwall Gypsum Company in 1965." (Moab Times-Independent, June 27, 2002)

(In spring 2002, Georgia Pacific began a series of division closures and sell-offs, and by mid 2004 its stock returned to its high value. Then in November 2005, with annual revenue of $19 billion, all of Georgia Pacific stock was purchased by the privately-held Koch Industries in a deal valued at $21 billion, removing GP as a publicly traded company.)

Railroad Service

Sigurd was at Mile Post 96.3 of the D&RGW Marysvale Branch, 10 miles south of Salina, at Mile Post 86.4.

April 15, 1948
"The D. & R. G. W. has been making extensive repairs on the Marysvale branch track preparatory to increased transportation when the Sigurd gypsum mills get in full operation. A crew of 65 section men have been replacing some bridges and raising the track from a point south of Sterling to north of Mt. Pleasant. Many cuts have been widened to increase visibility and lessen the danger of falling rocks. It is estimated that the combined production of Western and U. S. Gypsum plants may reach 40 carloads of gypsum each day." (Richfield Reaper, April 15, 1948)

June 11, 1948
"Preparations will be completed about the 1st of July for the moving of the [D&RGW] railroad terminal, located at Manti, to Salina. Three 5-man crews will operate from the Salina terminal, alternating trips south to Richfield and Marysvale, thereby giving daily freight service for the heavy volume of gypsum products being moved from Western Gypsum Co. and U. S. Gypsum Co., plants at Sigurd." (Salina Sun, June 11, 1948)

In 1956, the wallboard plant at Sigurd was the largest single commodity shipped on D&RGW's Marysvale Branch, with well over 100,000 tons. Half was shipped to Salt Lake City, and the other half was shipped to the Colorado Front Range (Denver/Pueblo).

(Railroad service ended with the Thistle slide in April 1983.)

Photos

Gypsum and Plaster -- An online album of photos of the gyprum and plaster industry in Utah, mostly lifted from online newspapers.

Video

How Gypsum Wallboard is Made -- A Youtube video of the History of Simple Things.

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