Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Question: What pinkish, marble-like stone is found only at Colorado’s Capitol?

Answer: The Capitol’s stonework features metamorphosed limestone tinged with iron oxide—a unique material known as Beulah red marble or Colorado rose onyx. A small deposit of the stone was discovered in the town of Beulah in 1893 and remains the only known supply in the world. As the whole deposit was depleted to build the Capitol, the stone is now irreplaceable, though a small emergency reserve is kept in the building’s underground vaults.