Medicine Hat Potteries

Medicine Hat Potteries (Yuill's Company), a Division of Alberta Clay Products Company Limited operated from 1938-1955.  Although Medalta was struggling through the depression Walter Armstrong convinced Hop Yuill to build one of the most modern pottery factories in Canada. 

 

Medicine Hat Potteries, with its state of the art factory did not have any trouble attracting employees from their neighbor Medalta Potteries.  Medicine Hat Potteries designed a trademark  "Little Chief" or as it is commonly referred to as "Sleepy Indian". 


The salesmen at Medicine Hat Potteries were selling products faster than the factory could produce them and they got some products from Medalta.  It always worth checking pieces closely to see you might be lucky enough to find a piece marked Medalta with the Little Chief stamp as well.

Medicine Hat Potteries developed a full line of products including crocks from 1/4 gallon through to 50 gallon sizes, butter crocks, pickle jars, shoulder jugs from 1/4 gallon to 5 gallon size, several sizes of butter churns, ice-water cooler, bed warmer, a spittoon, acid pitcher, chicken waterer, florist jar, several sizes of bean pots, and jam or honey jars.








 World War II brought many changes with the pottery producing dishes for the Canadian Armed Forces, the dishes they produced were a heavy, plain white pottery.  After the war they geared up for production of dishes, advertising items, vases, dinnerware including the popular Canadiana series.  They produced mixing and pudding bowls (each in 4 or more sizes), candy bowls, teapots in 3 sizes, a trivet, a pie plate, a coffee pot, refrigerator jars, casserole dish, beer stein, ice water pitcher with matching tumblers,four style of pitchers each in four sizes, jam jars, and even a dog dish.

One of the most popular series was the Canadiana Dinner ware designed by Malcolm McArthur and was embellished with a moose, a trout, a police officer, oil derrick and grain elevator on the dinner plate.  The rest of the dishes were embellished with  a green maple leaf.

Medicine Hat Potteries also produced some dishes with the calico pattern and stamped with the Little Chief stamp.  Decorative plates named Chinook were also produced by Medicine Hat Potteries.  Cherokee is the name of another series of products.











Medicine Hat Potteries made over four different wall vases and at least six different mantle vases in various shapes and patterns.  There were several ashtrays produced and at least five different animal planters.

Medicine Hat Potteries is still fairly easy to find.








And the Search Continues....