Mural #23
MINING THE MOJAVE: Natural Colored Rock

As a part of the Main Street Murals project, four separate murals were created to celebrate the impact that Mining in the Mojave has had on the Barstow area. The fourth of these was Natural Colored Rock by master artist Juliette Tison.
After WW II, colored rock was popular as a roof covering. Brubaker-Mann Natural Colored Crushed Rock opened in Barstow in 1950 predominantly as a roofing materials business. They shipped colored rock all over the country and their business grew. Over the years in order to obtain the different colors that they sold, they filed many mining claims.
Today, due to years of drought, many desert families and retail businesses have opted to replace lawns with yard designs done in natural colored rock. Although other colored rock businesses have developed in the area, Brubaker-Mann is still locally owned, and is still very successful.

Location: 239 E. Main St. (Union Bank)