[2] The contributing resources include the remains of two kilns from Bonaparte Pottery, which operated from 1866 to 1895.

Pottery had a significant economic impact on the state from the mid to the late 19th century.

The Des Moines River Valley had the greatest concentration of potteries in the state because of the abundant coal deposits located there.

The financial panic of 1893 undoubtedly played a part, but Bonaparte experienced a severe decline in manufacturing that began in the 1890s.

Other pottery operations had improved their mechanization, they had a better quality of clay, and they were located closer to population centers where they could sell their products.