From 1840 several quarries were established on the Bornberg. They were owned from 1914 by Basalt AG, Linz am Rhein and were worked until 1970. Closely linked with the quarries is the Schneeweiderhof, a hamlet in the parish of Eßweiler, where many of the quarrymen lived. In 1924 a worker's settlement, the Kolonie, was built at Schneeweiderhof which still exists today. Between 1952 and 1965 it even had its own school.