Easily accessible clay deposits along the shorelines made clay-mining and brick-making a significant early industry on Vashon. At one time there were as many as 10 to 12 brickyards, such as the Bleeker Brickyard in Burton, above.

The growth of Seattle and Tacoma, a series of fires in Tacoma during the 1880s and the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 all provided a market for bricks and drove the development of this industry. (Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association Photo)