World's Largest Grindstone: world record set in Shasta Lake, California

July 17, 2022

Shasta Lake, California, United States--Nestled outside of a Valero Gas Station off Route 5 lies a giant grindstone; originally located at the Buffalo Ranch in Montain Gate it was later moved to Central Valley, now, Shasta Lake City; it is considered to be the World's Largest Grindstone, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

Photo above: Chet H. SundeYes / Shasta Historical Society

Photo above:On the corner of Cascade Blvd and Shasta Dam Blvd sits this grindstone with the inscription "The "Largest Grindstone in the World." Supposedly it was used to sharpen blades on certain pieces of machinery used to cut through the rocks that would become Shasta Dam. Photo courtesy: John's Photo Blog

The City of Shasta Lake, known as Central Valley or CV prior to incorporation, is a city in Shasta County, California, United States.

It is the closest settlement to Shasta Dam and Shasta Lake reservoir, which are popular tourist destinations. Its population is 10,371 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,164 from the 2010 census.

"What the hell is a grindstone? Webster defines it as: "a stone disc that can be turned like a wheel and that is used for sharpening tools, smoothing rough edges, etc," the California Curiosities reports.

TESTIMONIALS

"We stopped for food in some town (I can't recall the name) and happened upon one of the (estimated) one things the town was famous for: THE LARGEST GRINDSTONE IN THE WORLD!," says Kevin Simpson.

"Words cannot describe the grandeur. Not to be missed if you're anywhere near Lake Shasta," says Richard Lutz on Google reviews.

"Do they just say this is the largest grindstone because no one will drag in a larger one to prove them wrong?"says Tamara Pickrell on Google reviews.

WORLD'S LARGEST GRINDSTONE

Address: Shasta Lake, CA 96019, United States

Directions: NW corner of Shasta Dam Blvd and Cascade Blvd. Near the Lake Shasta welcome sign.

The GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the Largest ancient stone balls was set by Las Bolas Grandes ('the giant balls'); there are more than a thousand perfectly spherical granitic globes scattered widely over the Diquis Delta of Costa Rica. Carved from naturally spherical masses of granite by a still-unidentified race of pre-Columbian people, the largest of these spectacular objects measure up to 2.5 m in diameter and weigh over 16 tonnes.

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS also recognized the world record for the largest stone tile; it is 21.04 m² (226 ft² 67 in²) and was achieved by Hebei Lingbiao Technology & Development Co., Ltd. (China) in Qinhuangdao, Hebei, China, on 31 August 2021.