At this site, the Western Lime and Cement Company operated a thriving lime-producing business for approximately 100 years, from 1856 to 1956. Niagara Dolostone quarried on top of the ledge was first moved down treacherous zigzag trails by horse-drawn carts, then later by a pulley system. The rock was dropped into the tops of three kilns, heated to around 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit, and after baking was drawn out as a white powder called quick lime from arched doors at the bottom. Wood initially fueled the kilns until the trees on the ledge were depleted, after which coal was used. Quick lime was barreled and bagged in the Cooper's Shop, then loaded onto barges and railcars for shipment across Wisconsin. Good-quality lime was used in plaster, cement, and agriculture, while poorer rock was crushed into gravel. As the quality of available limestone diminished, the industry at the High Cliff site declined, and the last load of stone was dropped into the kilns in the spring of 1956.