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Show ASHTSN BRICK BUSHES BIG A Building Material Manufac-! Manufac-! ture Was Started By Richard Rich-ard Leek in 1887 In the year 1887. 35 years ago. Richard Leek, prominent citizen of Ogden, and associates, began shoveling shovel-ing clay on Twenty-ninth street and Jefferson avenue for brick bulldlnt'. and oh that same plot if ground and under tin- almost .. oiii i n mm dire. Hon of Mr. Leek the process of making brick and tile has been In operation, in modified and enlarged foam, ever since. The plant Is now known as the Ashton Fin- Brick & Tile company ami Mr. Leek is the manager The first company was known as Galvert, Lancaster and Leek, flrm's plant being opened w ith a ca- paclty of JH.OOO brick a day. The men were then digging at alfalfa roots for clav and the machinery for moulding brick was rather crude, but. actuated by Indefatigable energy, faith In the crow ih of Ogden and realising that the best brick In the world could be made there, the plant grew In dimensions until 1I100, uhen the capacity of the machinery was 30 i0 brick n day. At this time Mr Iincaster withdrew from the business and it was conducted conduct-ed under the firm name of Calvert & Leek. In the year lsox the firm name was again changed. Mr Leek having purchased all other Interests and the company then becoming known as the Leek Brick company. The plant had grown to a capacity of -ID, 000 brick a day. In the course of the next seven years the business of the company forged ahead to the point where 100.-(00 100.-(00 brick were being turned out eevch day. At this time, 1916, Mr. Ieek sold his Interacts uni the firm name be-cuine be-cuine that of the Ashton Fire Brlcl. ft Tile company, Mr. Leek retiring from the business. Two years later, however, he was employed n manager mana-ger of the company and he has since held that position. It will readily bo seen that Mr. Leek was the prltu 'mover in the brick industry In Ogden land hl.s finger prints have been Indelibly In-delibly placed upon the enterprise, the growth of which forcibly tells how jwell It has been conducted. Tho market radius of the company embraces all of the intermountaln states, tho payroll amounting to -..tiie-thlng over $00,000 a year. Material for the plant 1st still belnij taken from I tho grounds on Twenty-ninth street and Jefferson avenue, except that the clay for red brick Is shipped to tho plant by nlito truck from Ogden Valley, Val-ley, in the vicinity of RuiitSVllle. This 1 firm made the brick and tile for the government arsenal Immediately eolith of tigden. it being the only firm I In the western country th.'U could fill I the order. This contract alone was .the means of circulating about $75,-000 $75,-000 In Ogden. The Ashton plant is now modern in every detail, equipment for making all k I mis. nn dthe best, and brick tile manufactured anywhere has been ln-Stalled. ln-Stalled. There are seven now down graft kilns In operation and the plant has a kiln of 1.200.000 brick. A brick smoke stack 190 feet high has been erected, which eliminates tho smoke nuisance in tlo- city Insofar as that enterprise en-terprise is concerned. The manufacturing manufac-turing of a rough-face brick Is a feature fea-ture of the Institution and it In said by-Mr. by-Mr. Leek that his company Is pre- pared to supply the brick demand for 1 I the Intermountaln section of countrj I H This enterprise is among Ogden's I 'H I very important industrial concerns and lends extraordinary weight to the. City's advancing manufacturing pur- 1 Through Its operations Ogden 1 I mas welj be considered a brick and 1 tile manufacturing center. |