Ideal cement officials tell Rotarians of gypsum rock reservoir at Hanover, Montana.

              Ideal cement officials tells Rotarians of gypsum rock reservoir at Hanover
March 1949
A reservoir of gypsum rock amounting to three times the amount of rock used in the
last 20 years has been uncovered in recent months at the Ideal Cement Company at
Hanover, James Gwin, plant superintendent, told the Lewistown Rotary club Monday at
noon at the regular luncheon meeting.
Gwin reviewed the history of the plant and processes used in the manufacture of
products in a talk which held the close attention of the club members throughout.
"We have come from the shovel and wheelbarrow stage of operation to the very latest
in electrical and air operated mine and mill processes," he said
The Hanover plan employs between 40 and 60 men and serves a trade area covering
North and South Dakota, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming and Montana, he
added.
Gwin described the veins of gypsum rock as lying in two cone shapes, one cone being
telescoped inside the other, with present mining operations including just the tops of
the cones, which are about two miles across at that point.
Plaster products manufactured at the Hanover plant include plaster of paris, fiber
plaster, gauging plaster, molding plaster, casting plaster, wood fiber plasted and soil
building gypsum products.
Plaster was one of the first plastics ever made dating back to early Egyptian records, he
said.
The plant was first built and operated by the late George Wiedeman and James Bickel,
now residing in California, in L9L2, Gwin said, with the Ideal Cement Company buying
the spread in 1915.
While both plaster and cement products were made at first, cement manufacture was
gradually discontinued until 1933, after which only gypsum rock was processed in
plaster products. While he said very valuable cement rock deposits are still available on
the property, labor troubles at the time and disintegration of machinery caused the
shutdown in cement manufacture.
The speaker was introduced by Dave Morrison, program chairman. Birthdays were
observed for Dick Kier and Oscar Mueller. President Bob Dissly presided.