Ward Charcoal Ovens, Ely, Nevada

Charcoal kilns once dotted Nevada. Converting wood into charcoal was a more efficient way of powering smelters. The most famous charcoal kilns are the Ward Charcoal Kilns, at the base of the Egan Range, south of Ely.

Ward Mining District

In 1872, freighters searching for oxen discovered silver ore in the Willow Creek Basin. Individual prospectors worked claims until Martin & White Company of San Fransisco purchased multiple claims in 1875.

The small mining camp of Ward developed at the base of the mountains. The town boomed in 1876, with a population of 1,500. The town was a “lawless mining camp” with murders and vigilante justice. Residents established a school in an abandoned house but never felt the need for a church.

Ward Charcoal Kilns

The Martin & White Company constructed six charcoal kilns to process ore locally in 1876. Charcoal is more efficient for smelters. It burns slowly and hot and is lighter to transport.

Italian masons built the stone kilns. The kilns are 30 feet tall and 27 feet wide.

Each kiln firing required 6 acres of trees and burned for twelve days. Every two weeks, the six kilns required 36 acres of trees. The trees were gone within three years, the silver boom busted and the kilns last fired in 1879.

Ranchers and prospectors used the kilns for shelter. Reportedly, stage robbers used the kilns as a hideout.

In 1965, the C.B. Land and Cattle Company gave Nevada State Parks a permit to protect the ovens. The land and kilns were donated to the park system in 1968.

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References

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