RHS March Meeting Preview: Remembering the Quarries with Roy Ruhkala

The Rocklin Historical Society will be hosting its second monthly meeting of the year on Monday March 21st in Old St. Mary's Chapel.  As a special treat, Rocklin legend Roy Ruhkala will be giving a presentation on the quarries of Rocklin.

About the Speaker:
Roy Ruhkala was born in Rocklin to Finnish Emigrant parents and was the middle child of eleven children.  The Ruhkala family owned several quarries in Rocklin and took over what is now known as Big Gun Quarry in 1933 and managed it until 1977-78.  While still a young boy, Roy worked for the quarry (running errands, etc.) and grew up learning all of the ins and outs of quarry operations.

After college, a tour in the Army and a short time working in Klamath Falls, Oregon, Roy moved back to his native Rocklin with his wife Peggy.  He worked in the quarry business for many years while starting a monument business in Sacramento but also had an active record of civic service.  Some of Roy's many accomplishments include serving on the Rocklin City Council for ten years, as the first Chairman of the Placer County Water Agency,  on the Rocklin School Board,  on the Rocklin Cemetery Board and as the first President of the Rocklin Historical Society.

As you can see, the legacy that Roy has generated in his many years of service to the city is vast (and I didn't even mention the half of it).  It is an incredibly special treat to have him speak at our March meeting, and the discussion of the quarries is particularly relevant to the recent developments the City and Society have had with Big Gun.

So join us at 7pm Monday March 21st at Old St. Mary's Chapel on Front Street to learn from a living Rocklin treasure.

About the pictures:
(Top) Roy Ruhkala smiles for the camera at the January 2011 Rocklin Historical Society Installation Dinner.
(Right) Roy stands to the right of John Whitney, the grandson of Joel Parker Whitney, to discuss the Whitney Mansion doors.  The article details Rocklin's 75th anniversary as an incorporated city and is from 1968.

Photos courtesy of Ronna Davis and Jean Day, respectively.

Sincerely,
Danielle Loebs
External Publicity Coordinator
Rocklin Historical Society