Joseph Shiely, 15 in 1900, worked in the mornings and evenings in the stone cutting shed while going to school. Joseph went on to found the J.L. Shiely Co, a large cement and gravel company, now called Agregate Industries. Joseph was the son of James R. Shiely, whose company hauled the marble for the Capitol from the train depot to the construction site.

“In 1900, Joseph Shiely worked from 7 to 8:30 a.m. in Butler Brothers & Ryan stone cutting blacksmith shop during construction of the state capitol. He attended Mechanic Arts high school the balance of the morning and returned to the blacksmith shop at 1:30 p.m. to work until 6:00 p.m., all for 50 cents a day. He left high school after three years to continue with Butler Brothers on the Minnesota Iron Range.”
Source: The Shiely Story:American Builders, Pepperdine College Press, George Pepperdine College, Robert O. Young, Editor. Quote courtesy of Terry Shiely.