Claybank Brick Plant facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Claybank Brick Plant

Location	Elmsthorpe No. 100, Saskatchewan, Canada
Established	1912-13
Visitors	Open by appointment
Website	Claybank Brick

Claybank Brick Plant
National Historic Site of Canada
Claybank Brick Plant National Historic Site
Claybank Brick Plant Location in Saskatchewan Show map of Saskatchewan Claybank Brick Plant Location in Canada Show map of Canada
Country	Canada
Province	Saskatchewan
Rural Municipality	Elmsthorpe
Founded	1912
Designated National Historic Site	1994
Designated Provincial Heritage Property	1998
Time zone	Central Standard Time
Postal code	S0H 0W0
Highway	Highway 339

Imagine a place where bricks for famous Canadian buildings were made! The Claybank Brick Plant National Historic Site is one such amazing spot. It's located near Claybank, Saskatchewan, at the bottom of the the Dirt Hills in a place called the RM of Elmsthorpe No. 100. This plant made bricks from 1914 all the way to 1989.

Bricks from Claybank were used to build important Canadian places. These include the Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon and the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. In 1996, the site became a National Historic Site. It's a great example of how industries worked in the early 1900s.

The Story of Claybank Bricks
- How Was the Clay Discovered?
Amazing Bricks Made at Claybank
- Face Brick: What Are They?
- Fire Brick: Heat-Resistant Wonders
What Makes the Clay Special?
Visiting the Claybank Brick Plant Today
- What Can You Do There?
Explore the Massold Clay Canyons
Nearby Places to Visit
Images for kids
See also

The Story of Claybank Bricks

The land around the Claybank Brick Plant has a very long history. Indigenous groups lived here for thousands of years. They likely hunted and gathered food. They also probably used the rich clay to make pots and tools.

European settlers found the valuable clay deposits much later, in the late 1800s. They quickly realized how important this clay could be for business. Soon, they started using it to make bricks on a large scale.

How Was the Clay Discovered?

1886 - Discovery: A homesteader named Thomas McWilliams found the clay in 1886. He was looking for lost cattle and picking berries. Thomas quickly realized the clay was special. He went to Moose Jaw to claim the land. He even got permission from the government to mine the clay. This was the first official record of the Claybank clay. For almost 20 years, Thomas mined and sold clay to a brick plant in Moose Jaw.

1904 - Partnership: In 1904, Thomas teamed up with the Moose Jaw Fire Brick and Pottery Company. The company bought his land and other clay deposits. But it was hard to make money because Moose Jaw was over 50 km away. The clay had to be pulled by horses and wagons.

1910 - Development: Everything changed in 1910 when the Canadian Northern Railway arrived. Now, it was easy to get the clay to markets! A special train track was built from Claybank to the main railway line. Plans were made to build a new brick plant that used coal for power. In 1912, the Moose Jaw Fire Brick and Pottery Company bought out Thomas McWilliams. They changed their name to Saskatchewan Clay Products. The new plant was finished in 1914. But because of World War I, it had to close until 1916.

1916 - Re-organization: In 1916, the company changed its name again to Dominion Fire Brick and Clay Products Ltd. The plant started working right away. They began making new products like "face brick" (for building exteriors) and special "fire brick." These new bricks helped the company do well after the war. Railways and industries needed many bricks, so demand was high.

Surviving Tough Times: The special bricks also helped the company survive the Great Depression. By 1938, the Claybank plant was the busiest in Saskatchewan! During World War II, there was a huge need for their special "refractory bricks." These were used in Corvette warships. This kept the plant busy and successful. After the war, the plant continued to grow. By 1950, it was the biggest clay plant in Saskatchewan.

1954 - New Owners: In 1954, a company from Alberta called Redcliffe Pressed Brick bought the plant. They kept the name Dominion Fire Brick and Clay Products. The next year, a big American company, A.P. Green Fire Brick Company, took over. They were famous for making refractory products. They updated the plant, changing six of the ten coal-fired kilns to natural gas.

Changes and Challenges: Even with improvements, the plant faced problems in the mid-1950s. Railways started using diesel locomotives instead of steam engines, so they didn't need as many locomotive bricks. In the 1960s, the plant stopped making its famous face brick. The coal-fired kilns had given the bricks their special color. When they switched to natural gas, that color was lost. In 1962, A.P. Green took full control, but the plant kept the old name until 1970.

1971 - Decline and Closure: In 1971, the plant became part of A.P. Green Refractories (Canada) Ltd. This seemed to make things harder for the plant. There was less demand for refractory bricks, and technology was changing. The plant's equipment was getting old, and the company was cutting back. All these things led to the plant closing in 1989 after 75 years.

1989 - Becoming a Heritage Site: When the plant closed in June 1989, the Government of Saskatchewan decided to protect it as a provincial heritage site. In 1992, A.P. Green gave the plant, its machines, and equipment to the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation. In 1994, it was named a national historic site. In 1998, it officially became a Provincial Heritage Property.

The Claybank Brick Plant was saved to remember Saskatchewan's industrial past. On June 29, 1997, it was officially announced as a National Historic Site of Canada. The federal and provincial governments gave $2 million to help preserve and show off the plant. In 2015, the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation worked with the Prince's Charities Canada to review how the site was run.

Amazing Bricks Made at Claybank

The Claybank Plant made two main types of bricks:

Face Brick: What Are They?

Face Bricks were special bricks used on the outside of buildings. They gave buildings a unique look. Many famous Canadian buildings used Claybank face bricks, including:

The Château Frontenac in Quebec City
The Delta Bessborough in Saskatoon
The Gravelbourg Cathedral in Gravelbourg
Many courthouses and public buildings across Saskatchewan.

The plant stopped making face bricks in the 1960s.

Fire Brick: Heat-Resistant Wonders

Fire Bricks were made from a rare type of clay found at Claybank. This clay was amazing because it could handle extreme heat! Since the 1920s, these special fire bricks have been used in:

Fireplaces and furnaces
The fire boxes of CN Rail and CP Rail locomotives (trains)
The boilers of Corvette warships during the Second World War.

These fire bricks were so good at blocking heat that they were even used to build the NASA rocket launch pads at Cape Canaveral, Florida!

What Makes the Clay Special?

The Claybank Brick Plant is located in the Dirt Hills of southern Saskatchewan. It used clay from the nearby Massold Clay Canyons. The Dirt Hills were formed by glaciers a very long time ago. Underneath them is the Whitemud Formation. This is a geological layer formed in the late Cretaceous period. It's found across southern Saskatchewan and parts of Alberta.

The Whitemud Formation is a source of high-quality refractory clay. This includes white kaolinitic and bentonitic clays. Claybank has two main types of clay: white and grey. They have different properties, which made them useful for making different kinds of bricks.

Visiting the Claybank Brick Plant Today

The Claybank Brick Plant National Historic Site is a great place to visit!

What Can You Do There?

Tours: The plant is open for tours seven days a week from June to the end of August. You can take a self-guided tour all day. Special guided tours are also available daily at 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM. If you're with a school or a group, you can ask for a special tour.
Food and Gifts: The Bunkhouse Café and Gift Shop are in the interpretive center. You can find fresh, homemade food and baked goods there. They also sell Saskatchewan souvenirs and local crafts.
Annual Event: The Claybank Brick Plant Annual Heritage Event happens on the last Sunday of June. It's a fun way to learn about the plant's history!

Explore the Massold Clay Canyons

The Massold Clay Canyons are a 256-acre historic and wildlife area right next to the Claybank Brick Plant. The canyons have old clay pits and natural wildlife areas. In 2001, the Claybank Brick Plant and Historical Society bought the land.

This land has never been touched by farming. It has stayed almost the same since the last ice age! You can find many plants that are native to the area. The hills are also home to lots of local prairie wildlife. You can go hiking through the canyons by starting at the interpretive center at the Claybank Brick Plant.

Nearby Places to Visit

The Claybank Brick Plant National Historic Site is in the RM of Elmsthorpe No.100. It's close to the towns of Claybank, Avonlea, Briercrest, and Truax, Saskatchewan.

Other fun places to visit nearby include: