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Stockton Brick and Tile Company
History
The Stockton Brick and Tile Company began in 1921, with Ernest W. Harker as General Manager
and Henry Bohlman as Superintendent. The plant, erected in 1921, was located on 3200 S. McKinley Avenue,
Stockton. This company manufactured various grades of common building brick, hollow tile, and drain tile.
The tile was marketed throughout the state, while the brick was sold in the Stockton area and points
to the north. A Southern Pacific railroad spur was laid to the plant for shipments by rail.
In 1925, Ralph Wilcox was President, Paul Weston, Secretary, and G. Birtolini, Plant Superintendent.
In 1960, the name changed to the California Clay Products Company, with John C. Boggs as President,
Ernest W. Harker as General Manager, and Marshall W. McCarty, Superintendent. In 1969, the company
changed its name to the General Shale Products of California. In 1972, it changed its name again to
the California Clay Company. The plant was closed by 1980.
Clay was mined from a pit, several acres in extent and 50 feet deep, to the south of the plant.
The clay was an orange-red burning variety which occurred in flat lying beds with little overburden.
A tractor with a carry-all scraper mined the clay, which was then stockpiled in a shed. Occasionally,
some clay was shipped from Ione, Amador County.
The plant used a stiff-mud process. The clay was ground in a dry pan grinder, screened, and
elevated to a pug mill, where the clay was mixed with water to form a mud which was sent to
an extruder. A continuous bar of shaped mud from the extruder was wire cut into standard brick
sizes. The brick shapes were then air dried for about four days, carted to field-type kilns,
where they were baked for 11 days. There were four field kilns, each having a capacity of
250,000 bricks. Hollow and drain tile shapes were fired in a coal and gas-fired Hoffman 16-section
continous kiln. Each section was fired for about 24 hours. The Hoffman kiln had a capacity for 450,000
brick. All machinery was operated by electric power. Fired products were then stockpiled
in the yard. This plant produced 1000 finished products per month, though it had a capacity of
25,000 per day. 20 to 32 men were employed at the plant.
View of the clay pit and brick plant of the Stockton Brick
and Tile Company. From Clark, 1955, p. 36.
Close up view of the Stockton Brick and Tile Company. From Laizure, 1925, p. 188.
View of the site of the Stockton Brick and Tile Company,
which is currently being used as a recycling center.
The brick house is made of brick made by the Stockton Brick and Tile Company.
Stockton Brick and Tile Company Brick
View of a brick building at the entrance to the Stockton Brick and Tile Company,
displaying examples of the common orange brick made by the brick company.
View of the Stockton Brick and Tile Company bricks in the brick building
at the entrance to the old brick works. Note the wire-cut face.
Common, stiff-mud, extruded brick is pale orange to orange-red, uniform color. Some sides display
white flashing lines. Small, rounded, white specks of clasts of feldspar and quartz up to 1/8 inch
can be seen on some surfaces, especially the wire-cut faces and broken interiors. The surface is
smooth with minor crazing. Some sides display transverse grooves caused by extruder and criss-cross
imprints caused by either a conveyor or screen. Wire-cut faces show prominent curved cut marks.
Brick is very hard and displays a conchoidal fracture where chipped or broken along edges. Ruffle
texture on three sides on rugged bricks. Length 8 1/4, width 3 7/8, height 2 3/8.
View of the wire-cut face of a Stockton Brick and Tile Company brick.
View of the smooth side of a Stockton Brick and Tile Company brick.
View of the smooth end of a Stockton Brick and Tile Company brick.
View of white flashing on the side of the brick.
View of transverse grooves in the side of the brick.
View of the broken interior of the brick. Note the white clasts
of feldspar, quartz, and minor pits.
View of a ruffle-textured end of a rugged brick.
Source
Clark, William B., 1955, "Mines and Mineral Resources of San Joaquin County." California Journal of Mines
and Geology, v. 51, no. 1, 1955, p. 36-37.
Laizure, C.M., 1925, "San Joaquin County." 21st Report of the State Mineralogist, p. 188-189.
Stockton City Directories, 1921-1980.
Copyright © 2004 Dan Mosier
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Comments or questions are welcomed.
Please send email to Dan Mosier at danmosier@earthlink.net.