Clay Spur Bentonite Plant & Camp, Cooler, Clay Spur Siding on Burlington Northern Railroad, Osage, Weston County, WY

Significance: The Clay Spur Bentonite Plant and Camp is associated with the early 20th century bentonite mining industry in Wyoming and the United States. The Clay Spur Bentonite District was the center of the pioneer Wyoming bentonite industry and remained the premier Wyoming producing district until reserves began to dwindle in the 1950s. The plant embodies the distinctive engineering technology of the bentonite industry. The camp also reflects early twentieth century company town architecture with simple buildings and floor plans that could be quickly and cheaply constructed and adapted to many different uses. This one-story wood frame industrial building was originally a cooler, 28.6 feet southwest-northeast by 13 feet northwest-southeast. It has a gable roof covered with asphalt shingles and rests on a poured concrete foundation. The exterior walls are partially covered with corrugated metal siding and horizontal boards. There is a large sliding wooden garage door on the southwest elevation. The interior is divided into bins below ground level. This building is designated as a "cooler" on the 1940 plant diagram and as an "abandoned cooler" on the 1957 plant diagram. It is not known how this building fitted into the milling process at Clay Spur.
Survey number: HAER WY-23-K