A Bismarck, N.D.-based rock company has bought a 165-acre rock quarry about halfway between Cheney and Spokane, a spokeswoman says.

Knife River Corp. purchased the pit at 9404 S. Cheney-Spokane Road, says Colleen Johnston, the company’s office and human resources manager in Rathdrum, where Knife River also has a rock pit. 

She declines to disclose the purchase price. 

The pit supplies dozens of rock products, ranging from base rock to decorative basalt chips. Knife River purchased the rock pit from Randy Geschke and Keith Geschke, who operated Key Rock Sand & Gravel there, Johnston says.

Knife River has operations in 17 states including Alaska and Hawaii, she says. 

In the Inland Northwest, it has additional pits in Rathdrum and Colville.

“The Rathdrum facility, which supplies Redi-Mix concrete, also supplies asphalt and other aggregate products. The Colville facility supplies and services asphalt jobs as well as various other rock products. And the Cheney location will provide concrete and aggregate,” Johnston says.

Johnston says Knife River has 1.1 billion tons of aggregate reserves, and annually ranks among the top 10 aggregate producers in the U.S. 

She says the company is only one of three companies in the top 10 that are exclusively U.S. owned and operated.