Clayton 6

This is a picture of the Brickyard water tower. On a cold winter day Mr. or Mrs. Jim Stelting braved the frigid temperatures to capture this rare photo .

Following the rerouting of Highway 395 and relocation of the Carl and Don's Phillips 66, a new enterprise developed. Next to the Phillips 66 station, Don and Lorraine Ball started a drive-in restaurant and named it "Clayton Drive In." HOME OF THE CLAYTON BURGER!

Business thrived, a great reputation developed and as the years went by they outgrew the facilities. They bought a piece of land directly across the road and built the restaurant you see today. Many area teenagers were hired and helped through the generosity of Don and Lorraine Ball.

This boarding house was spared destruction in the Clayton fire of 1908. Boarding houses were needed when loggers and new brick plant workers needed a place to live. Early settler Bob Huffman acquired this one, tore it down and built the “Huffman house, "...on the other side of the tracks." The house is now owned by Loren Hubbard.

This painting by Leno was reduced to a Black & White & is very effective. The entitled Clay to Clay. The construction of the terra cotta ( terra cotta is Italian meaning baked earth) plant attracted immigrants with artistic talents from Italy such as the Marconi, Costa and Prestini families. When Leno Prestini was 15 or 16 he joined his father in the terra cotta factory and soon became an artist in terra cotta moulding and ultimately a unique style of painting.

A picture of one of the statues that were used to decorate the University of Washington's Suzzalo library. In the 1920s artist Alan Clark and the Clayton terra cotta plant were selected to design and manufacture the statues. When the library was completed it was judged one of the top ten architectural structures in the nation. Copyright approval for permission to use this photo was given by Curator Nicolette Bromberg of the University of Washington. (University of Washington Library, Special Collections, Z679.2U8541.521.392 Plates 1 & 2)

A photograph of the E & E Mercantile burning in 1957. This was an almost fatal blow to the Clayton community.

Leonard and Lois (Harrison) Turrell hold a CDPHS album with a picture of them taken in the 1930s.

This is a picture of Gerry Harrison, Lois and Leonard Turrell, and Doc Harrison taken in the 1930s. The picture above shows the Turrells at the Prestini Display August of 2010.

Highway 395 under construction when it was diverted from passing through downtown Clayton. Even though this event is referred to as progress it was a cause for concern for businesses. In the process Carl and Don Lindh built a new Phillips 66 Service Station east of Clayton adjacent to the new Highway 395.

This downtown Clayton service station was first Carl & Ray's then Carl and Don's. The business has been moved out to the new highway. This building along with the newer Chief Petroleum is owned by Jim Calicoat. The Clayton Drive In across the street is now owned by Taffy (Calicoat) and Randy Long. Taffy and her sister brothers are the children of Marvin and Wilma Calicoat. Wilma still lives in Clayton.

Clayton the Oasis, Here is a photo of a home taken in the summer of 2008 that sits directly behind the old Carl & Ray's abandoned service station.

This is the house where Kate and Matt Klemish, owners of Matt's Tavern, lived on Clayton Avenue behind the Ramble Inn Tavern (Brickyard Tavern).

This recently discovered photo confirms almost beyond a doubt. Claytons 1st school adjacent to the Clayton downtown area on the main street of CLAYTON.

One of Clayton's heavier frosts.

It wasn't all work in the early days. Town and high school baseball teams existed in almost every town in northeastern Washington. This is the Clayton High School team in 1931. Row 1- Herbert Bankey, Robert Sater, Milton Carr, Johnson, Roy Honamond. Row 2- Paul Honamond, Arnold Johnson, Frederick Wind, Roy Fosberg, Eddie King and Mr. Ramsay.

This train station replaced the one destroyed in the 1908 fire. As you see here, the traffic was quite heavy.

The interior of the rebuilt Clayton Grange Hall.

In the early part of Clayton's existence the Washington Brick & Lime Company plant covered most of the area north of the present day railroad tracks. Businesses and homes were built south of the brick factory.

Clayton's pride and joy. A brand new all volunteer fire station and truck at the time which was about the year 1960.

Leno Prestini had many hobbies. Here he is preparing for a dive in his homemade diving suit, It seems even his work was a hobby. Terra cotta molder, brick layer, artist, dare devil climber, deep water diving, explorer were all things he enjoyed doing. He always had time for the kids.

Immigrants came from Italy, Norway, Sweden, Germany, as well as the eastern U.S. and many attended this little Clayton community chuch.

The above is factual story of the oldest and longest lasting successful organization ever in Clayton.

In February 1892 Jacob and Nellie Gibson received a patent to a homestead tract (NE/4 Section 26, Township 29N-Range 42 EastWM) southwest of Clayton. While there, they raised livestock, planted and harvested crops. At the same time they dug a well, built a house and other farm buildings and cleared the land. Their children were; George (Margaret), Jake ( Jenevei), Emil ( Jennie), Selma ( Bert) Erickson, Katherine (Ed) Garvey, and Paul (Ella). A very full life for a pioneer couple. Two of Paul's children live in the immediate area to this day, Bob (Lilly Mae) Gibson. as well as Margaret (Lewis) Daugherty. Another Gibson off spring Don (Betty) Gibson lives at Kettle Falls.

The rodeo arena at the new Clayton fair grounds in 2007. This is the latest and newest addition to Clayton.

Proud members of the Clayton/Deer Park Historical Society. We are doing what we can to record and preserve the history of this beautiful area.

The dedication of the Clayton Moose Lodge October 29, 1927.

Alan Berg cannot identify one person in this photo because he thinks it was before his time. He was born in 1924. Even the building is unknowm but looks similar to the second Clayton School house.

A picnic of the Olds family in Boyd, WA, circa 1920. A Susan Wind Simpson photo.

Four Clayton boys ( Darwin Lambier, Roy Knapp, Lyle Nord, and Art Stelting) in Deer Park. Is that the old city hall in the background?