Alberta Clay Products

In 1910 Warren Overpack, representing a group of American investors, constructed this huge facility using bricks manufactured in its own kilns. By 1912, it was the second largest plant of its type in North America.

 Alberta Clay Products Image

Alberta Clay Products pipetock image

A. C. P.  had 325 employees and daily made 80,000 brick and 24,000 sewer pipes. Harry Clinton Yuill took over in 1918 and his son J. Harlan (Hop) became timekeeper in 1920.

A. C. P.  employed heavy stoneware clays that had to be fired at much higher temperatures than traditional red earthenware bricks. They were much stronger but had to be glazed to be water tight.

A. C. P.  used beehive salt kilns. When temperature was reached rock salt was injected into the kiln atmosphere. It vaporized and the sodium combined with the silica and alumina in the clay to produce a distinctive glaze. Today one of these kilns remains on the original A. C. P.  property next to the Clay Products Interpretive Centre.

 Bee Hive Kiln image
For many years A. C. P.  was the only manufacturer of sewer pipe in western Canada. It continued to expand and make money even through the height of the great depression; so much so that the Yuills set up two separate stoneware pottery companies: Medicine Hat Potteries Ltd. in 1937, and Alberta Potteries Ltd. in 1941.

In 1946 Hop Yuill became president and general manager. In 1955 he sold Alberta Clay Products to Marwell Construction of Vancouver. They in turn sold it to Medicine Hat Brick and Tile in 1960.

A. C. P.  remained in operation as a division of Medicine Hat Brick and Tile until 1962 when it was destroyed by a spectacular fire.

 
Notices Site Map Home Page Quick Contact