The Town of Marble was first incorporated in 1899. Marble remains a statutory town of the State of Colorado today.
The quarry
The town is the location of a historic Yule Marble quarry along the mountains that began operations in the late 19th century, and from which the town draws its name. It has been used for the Tomb of the Unknowns, as well as for parts of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and civic buildings in San Francisco. It was also used for the construction of the Equitable Building, a historically important early skyscraper in New York City. The marble of the quarry is considered to be of exceptional quality, praised as one of the purest marbles ever quarried and a rival to classical Italian and Greek marble. It is nearly pure calcite marble with minor inclusions of mica, quartz, and feldspar, and has irregularly shaped calcite grains ranging from 100 to 600 micrometers in diameter. According to physical tests of the marble, its strength is comparable to marble typically used in building construction. The quarry has enjoyed a renaissance since its acquisition in 2004 by Polycor, a Canadian-based dimension stone company, and subsequent sale to Italian group R.E.D. Graniti S.p.A. In spite of significant transportation costs, this high-quality stone is now exported in large quantities to Europe and Asia for transformation and use throughout the world, as well as being sold into the US market.
Tourism
In the late 20th century and the 21st century, Marble has become a summer tourist destination. It is also the gateway to the nearby Crystal townsite. It is the site of the Marble/marble sculpting symposium held every summer since 1988. Seven sites within Marble have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Marble is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, all of it land. The community is located in a valley of the upper Crystal River along the Elk Mountains, accessible by a paved road from State Highway 133. Unlike most of Gunnison County, the town is located on the north side of Schofield Pass which is inaccessible to most cars and thus is separated geographically from the rest of Gunnison county.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 105 people, 45 households, and 27 families residing in the town. The population density was 282.2 people per square mile. There were 74 housing units at an average density of 198.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 99.05% White, 0.95% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population. There were 45 households out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couplesliving together, and 40.0% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.89. In the town, the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 2.9% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 42.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 118.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 133.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $46,094, and the median income for a family was $47,292. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,509. There were no families and 2.7% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64. Seven children were born in 2019
Education
Marble Charter School is a public, tuition-free charter school located in Marble. The school serves K-8 students in the Crystal River Valley.
