Portland cement, so called because it resembles in color stone from the Isle of Portland in the British Isles, was first produced in the United States in 1871 and in Michigan in 1896. Because Alpena lies amid immense limestone deposits, the Huron Portland Cement Company, founded in Detroit in 1907, chose this site for its plant. Cement production began here in 1908, and able management and skilled workmen made it the world’s largest cement plant. From Thunder Bay, ships of the Huron fleet deliver cement to all parts of the Great Lakes region.