the railways to ship its source material, which it obtained from numerous sources. From Ohio it obtained stilts, wire cloth, and cones. Chicago was the source of pickle jar wire and "red seal zinc white", and New York was the source for various chemicals, including barium, iron oxide, manganese, nickel, oxides of chromium, and "black under glaze". From England it obtained sponges, from New Brunswick came plaster of Paris, from Toronto came ground feldspar, from Winnipeg came gilders whiting (finely crushed chalk), and from Deloro, Ontario came black cobalt oxide. Operation The clay used for manufacturing the ceramics at Medalta Potteries was imported from Saskatchewan, as the local clay was unsuitable for such use. The clay provisioned by Medalta included three varieties. From Chocolate Drop Hill near Eastend the company received shipments of a "chocolate clay", a dark clay that "burned a lighter colour than stoneware clay". A clay known as "Saksatchewan Ball Clay" that burned white was obtained from a site near Willows, and the stoneware clays were obtained from Eastend and Ravenscrag. The company constantly had a clay surplus, which it sold to brick manufacturers and Vancouver schools. The clay was processed in the factory (now known as the Old Factory), and the ceramics produced in the Turning Room. Among the products manufactured were beanpots, butter churns, crocks, mixing bowls, and water coolers. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the company's officers permitted travellers to use the cooling kilns as a temporary accommodation as they crossed the country in search of work. The kilns could house up to 40 people overnight; they were required to vacate the premises before the start of the next workday. National Historic Site The manufacturing complex was restored, and is now a working museum. In a building adjacent to the site replicas of Medalta pottery are manufactured, to be sold in the museum gift shop. Several galleries are located in the complex. These include: the Collector's Gallery, located near the kilns and exhibiting the Tony Schlachter Collection; the Yuill Family Gallery of contemporary works, for travelling exhibits and works by resident artists; and the Les Manning Gallery, named for the ceramic artist who conceived the Shaw International Centre for Contemporary Ceramics in which the gallery is housed. Notes References Further reading External links Medalta Museum Historic Clay District History at Medalta Museum Medalta Potteries at Alberta Heritage Resources Management Information System Ceramics