Granodiorite was quarried for dimension stone along the southeast side of the Canadian Pacific Railway at Three Mile Point, 2.4 kilometres northeast of Nelson.

This region, in the vicinity of the West Arm of Kootenay Lake, is underlain by plutonic rocks of the Middle to Late Jurassic Nelson Intrusions.

The quarried stone consists of medium to coarse grained porphyritic granodiorite containing scattered feldspar phenocrysts up to 2 by 4.5 centimetres, glossy grey to pink quartz grains 1 to 10 millimetres in diameter and black biotite flakes 1 to 2 millimetres. In thin section, the rock is comprised of fresh plagioclase and orthoclase, considerable quartz, minor biotite and a few grains of magnetite and sphene. The stone is of uniform texture and has a white to pink tone. Rare black knots are present. Stone used in buildings and monuments appears fresh and retains its attractive appearance.

The stone is cut by one major vertical dipping joint set striking 170 degrees and a second set striking 80 to 125 degrees and dipping 35 to 45 degrees north. Parks (1917) reports that the second joint set is spaced up to 1.2 metres apart, while White (1987) states these joints are widely spaced apart. Blocks up to 7.6 metres in length are reported to have been quarried from here. Considerable reserves of stone remain at the site. Physical properties are as follows (Parks, 1917, p. 112):

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Specific gravity			2.656
Crushing strength (dry) (lbs/sq.in.)	29,406
Transverse strength (lbs/sq.in.)	1,708
Shearing strength  (lbs/sq.in.)		1,790
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Kootenay Granite and Monument Company Ltd. quarried granite from

three sites in the early 1900's, with the largest face being 36

metres long and 8 metres high. The stone was sold across western

Canada for use in the construction of various buildings and

monuments, such as the Houston Monument in Nelson, the court house in

Revelstoke and the Grand Forks Post Office. No production figures

are available.