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Country/Region:
Canada
Canada
Company Description
Tyndall Stone was first used in the construction of Lower Fort Garry in 1832, just north of where Winnipeg now stands. Other buildings still standing as a testament to the durability of this stone are St. Andrews Anglican Church, the oldest active stone church in western Canada, built in 1845 and the Captain Kennedy House built in 1865. Gillis Quarries Limited is now the largest and longest running company to quarry and process Tyndall Stone, and is now into its fourth generation of family management.
The founder of Gillis Quarries Ltd., August Gillis emigrated to Canada in 1905 with his two sons Charles and Joseph. A mason by trade, August came to Winnipeg and set up shop fabricating Tyndall Stone in a building at the corner of McPhillips Street and McDermot Avenue. The company at this time was under the name August Gillis and Sons. By 1913, they had outgrown their first location and built a larger shop at Spruce Street and Richard Avenue. With strong steady growth the purchase of the first quarry in 1915 was possible. An existing quarry on a forty acre lot was purchased from John Gunn, a farmer who in 1896 while trying to drill a well discovered the large Tyndall Stone deposit at Garson, Manitoba where it is still quarried today.
In 1922 August died, leaving the company to his sons Joseph and Charles. The company was then incorporated under the name Gillis Quarries Limited. The company grew strong enough to survive the depression, and shut down from 1934-1936 due to a lack of work. As work started to boom at the end of the thirties business was again interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. In 1954 Charles died leaving the company to his three sons Charles Jr., Bruce, and Frank. Now into its fourth generation of family management, operations are run by Bruce"s children Donna, Douglas and Keith Gillis.
The founder of Gillis Quarries Ltd., August Gillis emigrated to Canada in 1905 with his two sons Charles and Joseph. A mason by trade, August came to Winnipeg and set up shop fabricating Tyndall Stone in a building at the corner of McPhillips Street and McDermot Avenue. The company at this time was under the name August Gillis and Sons. By 1913, they had outgrown their first location and built a larger shop at Spruce Street and Richard Avenue. With strong steady growth the purchase of the first quarry in 1915 was possible. An existing quarry on a forty acre lot was purchased from John Gunn, a farmer who in 1896 while trying to drill a well discovered the large Tyndall Stone deposit at Garson, Manitoba where it is still quarried today.
In 1922 August died, leaving the company to his sons Joseph and Charles. The company was then incorporated under the name Gillis Quarries Limited. The company grew strong enough to survive the depression, and shut down from 1934-1936 due to a lack of work. As work started to boom at the end of the thirties business was again interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. In 1954 Charles died leaving the company to his three sons Charles Jr., Bruce, and Frank. Now into its fourth generation of family management, operations are run by Bruce"s children Donna, Douglas and Keith Gillis.
