Canadian Pottery - Medalta
View of the old kilns - Medalta
The buildings today are a registered National Historic Site of Canada.
Growing up in the 80s I remember the distinctive pottery that was still common in Western Canada. The colours and styles are quite familiar. I learned more about Medalta [1] as one of the Canadian potteries, when I was an archaeology student. You can find bits and pieces of their wares strewn across historic sites in Canada. The Medalta potteries was always one of the places I wished to visit after moving to Alberta. On our way to the Cypress Hills Bioblitz in early June, we were passing through Medicine Hat (and had a bit of time before we could check in at the campsite) so we stopped to pay a visit. They have a museum, artist studios, gallery, and display of the archaeological excavation of the kiln site, which was carried out in 2010.
I don’t wish to repeat what is accessible on the Medalta website - but this pottery produced from 1916-1954, and then was replaced by other local potteries. I reference some of the publications of the marks below. [2, 3] For other Canadian pottery marks I recommend the ‘Canadian Pottery Identifier’ website. [4]
Following are some of the highlight photos from the museum. Their collection includes not only Medalta wares, but other Canadian pottery as well. Of course my eye caught the Egyptian replica design immediately!
Egg cup and tour book
I purchased the souvenir ‘egg cup’ (as they called it) because it is the size of a sake cup!
This is a wonderful museum, and a must see for Canadian archaeologists, and pottery enthusiasts. Plainsman Clays is also located in Medicine Hat, so potters can stop and pick up supplies while there! [5]
Thanks to my staff members Ruiping and Lindsey for patiently waiting for me to finish nerding out at the museum! 🤓
[1] Medalta - Historic Clay District in Medicine Hat https://medalta.org/ ; Adult entrance fee was $15 (2025)
[2] Getty, R., Klaiman, E. Identifying Medalta 1916-1954: A Guide to Markings. Accessed on June 10, 2025 - https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/MCR/article/view/17062/22922
[3] Getty, R. (1994) Know Your Medalta: Stamps and Other Markings: A Guide to Dating Products. https://digitalfire.com/4sight/images/tony/34roZ928dn.pdf
[4] Canadian Pottery Identifier - http://canadianpotteryidentifier.com/
[5] Plainsman Clays - https://plainsmanclays.com/index.php
