People uprooted from Clayburn (84)

Clayburn was BC’s first company town, established in 1905 on traditional Stó:lō territories, by the Vancouver Fireclay Company (VFC) at the western foot of Sumas Mountain in an area rich in natural clay and fed by Clayburn Creek. The brickworks were built between 1905 and 1908 and employed up to 180 workers. Renamed Clayburn Co. Ltd. in 1909, the company became BC’s leading brick manufacturer by 1918. When the companyʼs Clayburn location closed in 1930, workers continued to live in the company town and were bussed to the Kilgard location.

Japanese Canadians farmed in the Clayburn community, logged, and worked in the sawmill. Riichi Sasaki, the first Japanese Canadian resident, purchased forty acres on Downes Road in 1919 and became a successful berry farmer. As the Japanese Canadian community grew, a Buddhist church was built on land donated by Kintaro Kamimura. It served as the Japanese language school, with lessons taught by Mr. and Mrs. Kudo (from Mission) and Mr. Nakamura. When these facilities became overcrowded, the Sasaki family built an additional community hall on their property. By 1942, at least eighteen Japanese Canadian families lived in Clayburn.