About American Tripoli

American Tripoli, Inc. was established in 1891 in Seneca Missouri following the discovery of ‘Seneca Standard’ Tripoli twenty-three years earlier in the extreme southwest corner of Missouri.  The Tripoli name is derived from Tripoli, North Africa, where a similar ore body was first discovered.  American Tripoli remains one of the oldest mine operations in the United States today.

Nowhere else in the world is there a material that equates to the quality and effectiveness of Seneca Standard Tripoli.  This is due to the high quality of the ore deposit and the company’s commitment to producing a superior Tripoli product hence, the Seneca Standard.

Historical Dates

1869	Tripoli discovered at Seneca, Missouri, U.S.A.
1871	First commercial application – a polishing brick called American Bath Brick by Monarch Tripoli Co.
1885	First grinding mill built
1888	American Tripoli Company organized
1891	Incorporation of American Tripoli Company
1919	Purchased Barnsdall Corporation
1920	New grinding mill built
1931	Name changed to Barnsdall Tripoli Company
1935	Name changed to Barnsdall Tripoli Corporation
1939	New steel mill built to replace old mill destroyed by fire
1947	J.C. Miller and Associates purchased the company
1954	Carborundum Company purchased the company
1969	100 Year Anniversary of the Discovery
1982	Warburg, Pincus, Inc. of New York purchased the company
1986	Canadian Pacific purchased the company and directed operations to NYCO Minerals, Inc.
1990	NYCO Minerals, Inc. and American Tripoli under Fording, Inc. management
1991	100 Year Anniversary of Incorporation