Daniel F. Brawley, First Minnesota Brickmaker
Lately, I have spent some time tracking down more information on the first brick manufacturer in Minnesota, Daniel F. Brawley. Many sources from the St. Paul area state that Daniel F. Brawley made the first bricks in the State in 1849. So far, I have found nothing to dispute that. I have come across a source that says a missionary group built several brick structures along the Upper Minnesota River Valley earlier than Brawley, but they made sun dried bricks (which basically means they were not burned in a kiln). Daniel F. Brawley is a very interesting man. Many things Daniel did were firsts in Minnesota. If he had only written down some of his exploits in a book or a journal, it would have given a good idea of life in early Minnesota. As it is, I have pieced together what little information remains into a new YouTube video, which is available on my Minnesota Historical Videos page.