Claybank Brick Plant
Encyclopedia
Claybank Brick Plant was a brickworks
factory for the manufacturing of bricks from clay located with a quarry for clay on site. The Claybank Brick plant has been conserved as a part of Saskatchewan
's industrial heritage with its official announcement June 29, 1997 as a National Historic Site of Canada by Minister of Canadian Heritage
Sheila Copps
. $2 million for the conservation and presentation of the Brick Plant by Claybank was contributed jointly between Federal and Provincial Government funding departments.Claybank Brick Plant used neighboring clay from the Massold Clay Canyons. The Cretaceous
period resulted in the Whitemud Formation which is the underlying zone of the Claybank Hills. The Whitemud Formation is noted for two main types of clay; white and grey in colour which possess different properties. Also close to Claybank are the Dirt Hills where a "bentonitic clay" can be found. Therefore the brick produced is used for different purposes. Claybank Brick Plant is known for its face brick, as well as tiles, fire brick, insulating brick
.
1909 the Canadian Northern Railway
built a branch rail line near the Dirt Hills. Thomas McWilliams supplied the Moose Jaw Fire Brick & Pottery Company as early as 1904. Moose Jaw investors constructed the Claybank brick plant under the name Saskatchewan Clay Products with its official opening held June 16, 1913. The Brick Plant closed briefly during World War I and re-opened in 1916 as Dominion Fire Brick & Pottery Co.. Redcliff Pressed Brick purchased the Brick Plant in 1954 and re-named the operation Dominion Fire Brick & Clay Products (1954) Ltd. Soon after this takeover the operations were purchased by AP Green Fire Brick Company and many of the fire kilns were converted to gas. 1971 saw the last takeover bid by AP Green Refactories Ltd. The Brick Plant owned by A.P. Green Refractories closed in 1989. In 1992 the Claybank Brick Plant was acquired by The Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation.
The plant produced T-P Moka brick that saw extensive use on the prairies such as the Delta Bessborough in Saskatoon
. The factory also supplied bricks for the construction of the Château Frontenac
in Quebec City
.
In 2009 and 2010, the plant was home to the Canada's largest airsoft event, dubbed Operation: Mason Relic, and will host the event again in 2011.
Brickworks
A brickworks also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock often with a quarry for clay on site....
factory for the manufacturing of bricks from clay located with a quarry for clay on site. The Claybank Brick plant has been conserved as a part of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
's industrial heritage with its official announcement June 29, 1997 as a National Historic Site of Canada by Minister of Canadian Heritage
Minister of Canadian Heritage
The Minister of Canadian Heritage is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who heads the Department of Canadian Heritage, the federal government department responsible for Canada's Arts, Culture, Media, Communications network, and Sport....
Sheila Copps
Sheila Copps
Sheila Maureen Copps, PC is a former Canadian politician who also served as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from November 4, 1993 to April 30, 1996 and June 19, 1996 to June 11, 1997....
. $2 million for the conservation and presentation of the Brick Plant by Claybank was contributed jointly between Federal and Provincial Government funding departments.Claybank Brick Plant used neighboring clay from the Massold Clay Canyons. The Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
period resulted in the Whitemud Formation which is the underlying zone of the Claybank Hills. The Whitemud Formation is noted for two main types of clay; white and grey in colour which possess different properties. Also close to Claybank are the Dirt Hills where a "bentonitic clay" can be found. Therefore the brick produced is used for different purposes. Claybank Brick Plant is known for its face brick, as well as tiles, fire brick, insulating brick
History
1886 Thomas McWilliams noted the economic potential of the clay hills of this area and filed for homestead property here. It is felt his original intention may have been to sell the clay to Wellington White brick plant in Moose JawMoose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Moose Jaw is a city in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada on the Moose Jaw River. It is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians. It is best known as a retirement and tourist city that serves as a hub to the hundreds of small towns...
.
1909 the Canadian Northern Railway
Canadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway is a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its demise in 1923, when it was merged into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.-Manitoba beginnings:CNoR had its start in...
built a branch rail line near the Dirt Hills. Thomas McWilliams supplied the Moose Jaw Fire Brick & Pottery Company as early as 1904. Moose Jaw investors constructed the Claybank brick plant under the name Saskatchewan Clay Products with its official opening held June 16, 1913. The Brick Plant closed briefly during World War I and re-opened in 1916 as Dominion Fire Brick & Pottery Co.. Redcliff Pressed Brick purchased the Brick Plant in 1954 and re-named the operation Dominion Fire Brick & Clay Products (1954) Ltd. Soon after this takeover the operations were purchased by AP Green Fire Brick Company and many of the fire kilns were converted to gas. 1971 saw the last takeover bid by AP Green Refactories Ltd. The Brick Plant owned by A.P. Green Refractories closed in 1989. In 1992 the Claybank Brick Plant was acquired by The Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation.
The plant produced T-P Moka brick that saw extensive use on the prairies such as the Delta Bessborough in Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
. The factory also supplied bricks for the construction of the Château Frontenac
Château Frontenac
The Château Frontenac, currently known as Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, is a grand hotel in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1980...
in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
.
Current activities
The plant is currently open for tours.In 2009 and 2010, the plant was home to the Canada's largest airsoft event, dubbed Operation: Mason Relic, and will host the event again in 2011.
Nearby
- Dunnet Regional Park
- Long Creek Golf Course
- Briercrest Museum
- Avonlea Heritage House Museum
External links
- Claybank Brick Plant Historical Society - official site
- Massold Clay Canyons.
- Claybank Brick Plant Commemorated as National Historic Site
- Brick Making Back Then
- Claybank Brick Plant
- Virtual Museum of Canada - VMC Map - Claybank Brick Plant National ...
- A Little Brick Plant in the Middle of Nowhere
- A Little Brick Plant in the Middle of Nowhere
- http://www.pc.gc.ca/voyage-travel/pv-vp/itm9-/page10_e.asp
- Culture Youth and Recreation Properties
- Two historic sites designed as province celebrates heritage day
- Historical Overview Claybank Brick Plant
- http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/claybank_brick_plant.html Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan