Clayton, Washington — Town Shipped Its Own Ground Away

Clayton built an industry out of clay.

Deposits near the community proved suitable for brick, tile and sewer-pipe manufacturing, supporting a substantial industrial plant during the early twentieth century.

Kilns, pits and rail transportation turned a small Stevens County settlement into a manufacturing center.

Its products left town by the railcar and became parts of buildings and infrastructure elsewhere in the Northwest.

Timber and agriculture surrounded the operation, but clay supplied Clayton's distinctive economy.

The brick works eventually closed, leaving industrial remnants and a much smaller community.

Few towns can describe their exports so literally.

Clayton shipped pieces of its own ground away.