Denny Clay Company buildings, ca 1911 (MOHAI 5921)

By 1910, the Denny-Renton Clay and Coal Company was one of Renton's most important businesses. Company workers removed the clay from nearby cliffs using high pressure hoses. Other laborers formed and baked the clay into bricks, sewer tile, terra cotta and other building materials. By 1917, the Denny-Renton Clay Company was reportedly the world's largest producer of street paving brick.
This photo, taken around 1911, shows the Denny Clay Company plant in Renton, Washington. The railroad tracks in the foreground connected the factory with markets throughout the nation. The company's bricks paved the streets of Seattle and many other towns and cities.

Subjects (LCTGM): Clay industries; Denny-Renton Clay and Coal Company; Industrial facilities; Railroad tracks