Clayton's Beginnings

The town of Clayton was surveyed in 1849. The first business in the town was a mercantile business and warehouse run by Frank Smith. Over the next half-decade, the town grew exponentially. By the end of the 19th century, the booming community had two flouring mills, four general stores, four grocery stores, two cabinet shops, one laundry, three lumber yards, and a stone and heading factory. River traffic also created a lot of business for the town. There were four companies which used the river at Clayton for trading, the Northwestern Union Pacific Line, Northern Line, Diamond Jo Line, and another company which rafted logs down the river. During the town’s “prime time” is was home to the railroad, a bank, a post office, a schoolhouse, and four churches.

In the year 1900, a tragedy struck Clayton. A fire beginning at the railroad tracks spread through town and destroyed three to four blocks. After the fire, there was only one remaining business in town. When the town was incorporated in 1901 it had 1500 citizens. During the 1920s and 1930s, the only businesses to withstand the effects of the Great Depression were commercial fishing, the railroad, and the sand plant.

In 1963, the Civil Defense turned the Clayton Sand Mine into a bomb shelter and supplied it with water, medical supplies, and survival crackers to serve the 44,000 residents of Clayton County. In 1965, when the flood level of the Mississippi River reached 24.3 feet, students from as far away as Strawberry Point were brought in to help sandbag. A permanent dike was built in 1966. The Clayton Hill Road was also redone in 1966 and in 1968 it was paved. ​The McCall Magazine from New York City visited the town of Clayton in 1977. Thery documented a "make-over" of mothers and daughters in the town and published it in theit October issue.