After the disastrous fires that swept through Kewaunee County in 1871, more substantial building material was sought, and brickyards appeared in several locations in the county. A good supply of clay between here and Division Street, three blocks to the west, provided the major raw material needed to make bricks. When that clay supply diminished after a few years, a new brickyard was established nearby and remained in operation until about 1910. Many of the stores in downtown Algoma were built with bricks produced in these yards. To make them, crushed clay was placed into molds to form bricks, which were then set in the sun to dry and covered when necessary to protect them from dampness and rain. After several weeks, the bricks were placed in a kiln, where fires were tended day and night, and after about three weeks in the kiln, the hardened bricks were ready for sale.