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85 had t o re m a in i n t h e hands o f a few s k i l l e d i n d i v i d u a l s , and t h e b u r n i n g p r o c e s s i t s e l f added t o t h e c o s t o f t h e p ro d u c t. N e v e r t h e l e s s , few would deny t h a t good q u a l i t y f i r e d b r i c k made a s u p e r i o r b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l and once i t f i n a l l y a p p e a re d i n t h e W est, i t was e v ery w h e re i n demand among th e Mormons. T h ree b r i c k - u s i n g p h a se s a r e r e c o g n iz e d i n t h i s s t u d y , each d i f f e r i n g i n p r o d u c t i o n m eth od s, b r i c k s u p p ly , and q u a l i t y . The i n i t i a l b r ic k - w o r k i n g p h a se had v e r y humble b e g i n n in g s i n U tah, b u t a t l e a s t as e a r l y as 1849 a few b r i c k s were b e in g prod uced i n th e S a l t Lake V a lle y ( C a r r , 404). C lay was p r e p a r e d i n t h e same manner a s t h a t f o r ad ob e, t h a t i s , i t was sp ad ed lo o s e on th e g rou n d s u r f a c e , w e tte d , and tr o d d e n w ith b a r e f e e t w h ile a l i t t l e s t r a w o r d r y g r a s s was a d d ed . The b r i c k s were f i r s t molded by h an d, r o l l e d i n s a n d , and th e n p la c e d i n a s a n d mold o r san d ed wooden mold i n t h e same manner a s i 3 Nauvoo. When t u r n e d o u t on t h e ground o r a p a l l e t t o d r y , t h e b r i c k showed a r i c h l y san ded su rface. A f t e r a b o u t a week o f d r y i n g t h e b r i c k s were th e n s t a c k e d i n a l o c a l l y f a s h i o n e d k i l n a n d baked c o n t i n u o u s l y f o r a b o u t one week, b u t i t was d i f f i c u l t i n t h o s e days t o m a i n t a i n t h e d e s i r e d t e m p e r a t u r e , and th e b r i c k s were n o t c o n s is te n t in q u a lity . B rickm aking m ethods may have a c t u a l l y d e g e n e r a te d f o r a tim e i n Mormon c o u n t r y when i n t h e 1850s and 1860s some b ric k m a k e r s s im p ly b u rn e d p r e v i o u s l y made ad o b es i n t h e i r k i l n s — ad o b es which had been s p l i t i n t o two o r more p i e c e s (W inburn, 2 3 ). B r ic k s i z e s a l s o v a r i e d from Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.