In 1875, William A. Russell established an extensive brick yard near Morris. By the summer of 1875, he expected to burn his first kiln of 100,000 bricks. Russell manufactured superior-quality brick that sold for $10 per thousand in 1876 and stayed at this price well into 1879. In the autumn of 1876, twelve of his bricks won a prize at the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba. The Russell yard was still in operation in 1880 when he combined it with that of William Gallie, who had established a brickyard at Morris in 1877. Russell and Gallie bricks were used to construct the Morris Public School House in 1880 along with other buildings around town.
Manitoba Brick Yards by Randy Rostecki, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch Report, May 2010.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 10 May 2020
Manitoba Bricks and Blocks
A history of the manufacture of bricks and concrete blocks in Manitoba, based on research by Randy Rostecki for the Manitoba Historic Resources Branch and supplemented by information compiled by Gordon Goldsborough of the Manitoba Historical Society. .
Bricks | Blocks | People | Glossary
We thank Hugh Arklie, Gordon McDiarmid, and Heather Bertnick for their help in the development of this online guide. Financial support of the Thomas Sill Foundation is gratefully acknowledged. Additional information was provided by Ina Bramadat, David Butterfield, Neil Christoffersen, Frank Korvemaker, Ed Ledohowski, Ken Storie, Lynette Stow, and Tracey Winthrop-Meyers.
© 2010-2020
Randy Rostecki, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch, Gordon Goldsborough, and Manitoba Historical Society.
All rights reserved.
