In 1881, Robert Snowball started a brick yard at Pilot Mound. Although he had a successful initial year, he did not return to the area again. In September 1882, his facility had been taken over by Harry Steadman of Winnipeg; however, his success was also short at this yard site. Brick-making resumed in the Pilot Mound area very close to the Snowball yard site on the property of Donald Frazer, in 1897, when Thomas Dearlove began his brick yard. By mid-June, Dearlove had erected a building and was awaiting his brick manufacturing machinery designed to produce 10,000 to 12,000 bricks per day. In July 1897, Dearlove’s first kiln produced 50,000 bricks followed by another 100,000 bricks later that year. The bricks he produced came in either a buff or red colour and sold for $9 to $10 per thousand. They were used to construct the Kemp residence (NW36-3-11W) and the Pilot Mound School (1905). Local directories list Dearlove as being in the brick business until around 1912.
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.
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Randy Rostecki, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch, Gordon Goldsborough, and Manitoba Historical Society.
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