Charcoal Kiln
Many mining areas in the late 1800s utilized beehive-shaped charcoal kilns to slowly burn wood to make charcoal for the smelting of gold and silver ore. Today, places like Death Valley National Park in California and Ward Charcoal Ovens Historical State Park make an effort to keep these historic kilns in pristine condition. Silver Reef has its own charcoal kiln located about three miles west of town that’s also in pristine condition.
Charcoal kilns, similar to the one in Silver Reef, were in use during the same period of the 1870s to 1890s. The other charcoal kiln sites explained below, such as in Pioche, Nevada, and Death Valley, demonstrate how this same technology was use for creating the fuel used for firing the furnaces at the smelters and mills used for extracting silver and gold from ore. By the late 1890s, other fuels that were cheaper to obtain were beginning to be used at, phasing out the need for producing charcoal.
In This Article
Why Charcoal?
Charcoal is a much hotter and consistent burning fuel as compared to other fuels available at the time, such as burning straight wood. Often, charcoal kilns were built close to a big supply of wood, such as a forest, then the resultant charcoal would be transported to the mines, sometimes quite a distance away because many mines were not near any forested area. For Silver Reef, that distance wasn’t too far, just three miles.
Charcoal Production
The production of charcoal has a long history. The process was used for thousands of years. It would begin with harvesting nearby lumber, then placing the cut wood onto their ends to create a conical pile. The pile was covered with turf or clay as to not admit air, except through small openings at the bottom. The wood would be slowly lit and continue to burn for several days. When the burn was complete, and the wood transformed into charcoal, the holes would be plugged to cut off the supply of oxygen and the fire would be extinguished.
By the 1800s, the turf structure was replaced by a conical brick structure that would be used over and over. There was a small entry way near the bottom for workers to load wood, along with a few holes placed around the base. There was also a hole in the roof of the kiln to release smoke. This is the basic charcoal kiln design we see today in the American Southwest and in Silver Reef.
When the kiln was empty, workers would line the walls of the kiln with wood and load it full all the way to the center. The fire would be started slowly and the holes were plugged to limit the fire’s oxygen supply.
Charcoal production was a profession. Skilled workers made charcoal throughout the ages. Often, these skilled workers lived in isolation, basically where the kilns were, because this is where the wood (timber) was harvested.
Silver Reef’s Charcoal Kiln
The one charcoal kiln that served several mills in Silver Reef is located up in a forested canyon in the nearby Pine Valley Mountains. The site is easy to find but might be a little challenging to reach in a normal vehicle. SUVs, trucks and 4WD vehicles can reach it easily when the road is in good condition.
Today, the charcoal kiln, located under the jurisdiction of the Dixie National Forest, is part of the Children’s Forest at the Kiln. This short nature trail meanders through the surrounding juniper forest and passes by several exhibits that explain some of the plant species of the area. The trail is well maintained, easy to walk on and can even pass as being accessible to disabled citizens.
The trail passes over a bridge and ends at the charcoal kiln. Along with the charcoal kilns at Death Valley National Park, this is probably one of the best-preserved charcoal kilns from the late 1880s era of mining.
Directions to Charcoal Kiln
If using Google Maps or similar navigation app, simply navigate to “The Kiln“.
To reach the charcoal kiln, follow these directions:
- Leave the Silver Reef museum on the road you came in on.
- In a short distance, you’ll return to the junction with the road that came in from the freeway. This is Silver Reef Road. Reset your trip meter and turn left.
- Continue on Silver Reef Road. In half a mile, the road turns to dirt and enters the national forest.
- The road becomes narrow as it passes through a narrow canyon. Watch out for oncoming traffic. People who are not comfortable with heights may not enjoy this part of the road.
- Two miles from the junction, turn right onto Forestry Road FR 032. Signs will point to Oak Grove.
- The charcoal kiln trailhead is reached 3.1 miles from the junction.
Death Valley Charcoal Kilns
The charcoal kilns located in Death Valley National Park are on the western slope of the Panamint Mountains. The charcoal was transported by wagon, across desolate Panamint Valley, to the silver mines at Lookout Mountain in the Argus Range, roughly 25 miles away.
These kilns were built between 1877 and 1878, which was also at the beginning of Silver Reef’s boom years. An incredible number of kilns were built – ten in all. Each 25-foot tall, 30-foot diameter kiln was filled with 42 cords of wood and burned for a week to yield 2,000 bushels of charcoal. A crew of 40 men kept the kilns supplied with juniper and pinyon pine tree wood from trees located next to the site.
Unfortunately, these kilns were only used for a year and were never used again. By 1879, the ore in the mines around Lookout dwindled and didn’t warrant the need to operate a mill, thus no longer needing the charcoal. The Lookout mines were all deserted by the 1890s.
Unlike other charcoal kiln sites, the ones here are at an elevation of 7,000 feet and are more susceptible to the elements, mainly snow and ice. For that reason, they erode quickly. Thanks to a team of Navajo Indians, the kilns were restored to very good condition in 1971.
Pioche / Bristol Wells, Nevada
Located 14 miles north of Pioche, Nevada, a silver mining town closely related to Silver Reef, are a set of three charcoal kilns that were employed at the Bristol Wells mining area. The kilns were erected in the early 1870s and were used for around ten years.
The mill that processed the area’s silver-lead mines was located next to the kilns. The surrounding juniper trees provided ample lumber for the kilns, so there was no need for transportation unlike the Lookout mines of Death Valley. The kilns were phased out in the early 1890s when a new mill was built that used a different fuel source.
Frisco, Utah
Another nearby silver mining area was located in ghost town of Frisco, about 14 miles west of Milford, Utah, which is located 90 miles north of Silver Reef. Just like the aforementioned kilns, these were also built in the late 1870s. There were 36 kilns built by the various mines around Frisco. Five exist today – two have collapsed. Grouped together, they are all of varying sizes.
Tybo, Nevada
Another interesting set of charcoal kilns are located in the mining area of Tybo, Nevada. This mining camp too was established in the early 1870s, with the kilns being built shortly after that. It seems that a total of three were built, however two still remain, one of them being halfway collapsed.
See the complete story of Tybo and its charcoal kilns, along with a virtual visit to the area, on the BackRoadsWest.com blog, by clicking the button below.
