Clayton was named after John M. Clayton of the Iowa Legislature. This picturesque little town settled amongst the beautiful bluffs on the Mississippi river, offers visitors beautiful scenery, water sports and great sand bars, a local marina and good food & spirits.
Mining was an important aspect of this community’s history and today, Clayton houses the Silica Sand Mines, which consist of over 40 acres of underground caverns reaching deep into the surrounding river bluffs. Currently, the mines serve as grain storage prior to shipment down the Mississippi, and on to worldwide markets.