Ward Charcoal Ovens
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member brwhiz
N 39° 02.245 W 114° 50.780
11S E 686400 N 4323135
Nevada State Historical Marker No. 184 is located on the north side of the road leading from Cave Valley Road to the entrance to Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Site.
Waymark Code: WMF98H
Location: Nevada, United States
Date Posted: 09/13/2012
Published By:Groundspeak Charter Member Uncle Alaska
Views: 9
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This Historical Marker describes the crucial role of charcoal in the smelting of early ores.
Marker Title (required): Ward Charcoal Ovens

Marker Number (If official State Marker from NV SHPO website above, otherwise leave blank): 184

Marker Text (required):
These ovens were constructed during the mid 1870's and are larger and of finer construction than most other ovens found in Nevada. They are 27 feet in diameter and 30 feet high with a capacity of about 35 cords of wood which was burned for a period of 12 days to produce about 50 bushels of good, solid charcoal per cord. The charcoal was used in the smelters at nearby Ward, about 30 to 50 bushels being required to reduce one ton of ore. Each filling of one of these ovens required the total tree crop from five or six acres of land. During the late 1870's the hills and mountains around many mining camps were completely stripped of all timber for a radius of up to 35 miles. As railroads penetrated the West, charcoal was replaced by coke made from coal and the charcoal industry faded. "The real worth of the old charcoal ovens is their historical function in reminding present Americans of a now-vanished industry, without which the great silver and lead bonanzas of the early West could not have been harvested." --Nell Murbarger.

County (required): White Pine

Marker Type (required): Full Size (with blue painted mesh)

Other Marker Type (optional): None

Is Marker Damaged? (required): No

Other Damage Type (optional): None

URL - Website (optional): [Web Link]
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Recent Visits/Logs:
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mineral54 visited Ward Charcoal Ovens 08/13/2023 mineral54 visited it
Volcanoguy visited Ward Charcoal Ovens 09/29/2016 Volcanoguy visited it

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