The Potteries of Medicine Hat

The Potteries of Medicine Hat. Alberta's History. , Between 1912 and 1989 over a dozen different pottery companies operated in Medicine Hat and Redcliff. The availability of natural gas, suitable clay deposits nearby, and a location on the CPR mainline, were major factors in locating pottery manufacturing in the area. Throughout much of this period Medicine Hat was the largest centre of pottery production in Canada. , The first commercial pottery, the Medicine Hat Pottery Company, was begun in 1912. Financial difficulties led to its closure in 1913, but new investors purchased the building and equipment. A new firm, Medalta Stoneware Limited, opened in 1916 before being reorganized and renamed Medalta Potteries Limited in 1924. The company appealed to Canadian patriotism, advertising that it was "a Canadian factory, employing Canadian workmen, using Canadian clays, manufacturing useful household articles for the Canadian people." By the 1940s Medalta was by far the largest Canadian pottery manufacturer. , In 1937, a second large commercial pottery, Medicine Hat Potteries, opened. Both Medicine Hat Potteries and Medalta boomed during the war years as the Canadian Armed Forces purchased virtually their entire production. After the war, however, both companies faced increased competition from other Canadian and foreign manufacturers. Medalta was forced into bankruptcy in 1954, and Medicine Hat Potteries was sold and renamed Hycroft China in 1955. Hycroft China survived until 1989, in part by producing new products such as sinks and toilets. In 1966, a new company briefly revived the Medalta name with a firm based in Redcliff, but the heyday of the Medicine Hat pottery industry had passed. , For a closer look at the history of this industry visit the Medalta and Hycroft factories, restored by the Friends of Medalta Society.