Major fires, two years apart spurred Salidans into a spate of brick construction that eventually saved the town from more devastating damage. A couple of brick yards were in operation before the 1886 fire, but within a year after the 1888 conflagration, there were at least four in production. Clay, sand and water are stirred into a stiff mud before it is packed into molds. It was repetitive, back-wrenching work, but it was lucrative for many years. George and Charles Lunnon are back near the kiln, Ben Lunnon is at the right, and Charles Schuth is seated next to the mixer.
Pearl Lunnon Collection.