About our Slate
Neutral pH – Decorative slate will not affect the acidity of soil. Surrounding plants will not suffer should you choose to lay slate pavers or slate chips, or to build retaining walls from slate flagstone nearby.
Low water absorption – This makes black slate from Sacramento highly resistant to the elements, including damage from frost.
Two lines of break-ability – It is relatively easy to make thin sheets of black slate rock perfect for all kinds of applications.
Versatility – Black slate from Sacramento looks beautiful and lasts for an exceptionally long time. It is perfect for all manner of projects including ground-cover, pathways, flooring, wall coverings, counter-tops, tiles, and even roofing.
Chili Bar Slate Mine
The recorded history of the area goes back to beginning of the California Gold Rush. Early settlers first discovered the area when they moved upstream from Coloma looking for gold. Included in these early argonauts were Chilean miners who made the area their home as they hoped to strike it rich. Now you know why it is called Chili Bar, but we will leave it up to you to decide why it is Chili Bar, not Chile Bar! If you are curious to read more about us, click here.
Fast-forward over 150 years and Chili Bar is a popular rafting destination. Not far from our mine,
adventurous rafters put in for a wild ride where Highway 193 intersects the South Fork of the American River. The black slate formations are one of the reasons why the rapids are such a popular attraction to the area.
Today our slate mine at Chili Bar, (the oldest active mine in California) is renowned as the preeminent source of beautiful black slate and decorative rock in the Western United States. In addition to the black slate, we mine other natural hued decorative slate and various decorative rocks.