Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park Explained

Ward Charcoal Ovens
State Historic Park

Photo Width:

280

Photo Alt:

Charcoal ovens

Map:

Nevada

Map Width:

280

Relief:

Label:

Ward Charcoal Ovens
State Historic Park

Location:

White Pine County, Nevada, United States

Nearest City:

Ely, Nevada

Coords:

39.035°N -114.8478°W

Area:

861.15acres

Elevation:

7054feet

Established:

1969

Free Label:

Named for

Designation:

Nevada state historic park

Administrator:

Nevada Division of State Parks

Visitation Num:

2,532 vehicles

Visitation Year:

2017

Visitation Ref:

^[1]

Embedded:

Embed:	yes
Ward Charcoal Ovens
Nrhp Type:	nrhp
Designated Other1 Name:	Nevada Historical Markers
Designated Other1 Abbr:	Markers
Designated Other1 Color:	ffc94b
Designated Other1 Link:	Nevada Historical Markers
Designated Other1 Number:	184
Designated Other1 Num Position:	both
Location:	White Pine County, Nevada
Nearest City:	Ely, Nevada
Area:	1 acre
Built:	1876
Added:	September 28, 1971
Refnum:	71000491

Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park is an area designated for historic preservation and public recreation located 20miles south of the town of Ely in White Pine County, Nevada. The 700acres state park protects beehive-shaped charcoal ovens constructed in the latter half of the 19th century.

History

OvensThe charcoal ovens are associated with the silver mining ghost town of Ward, Nevada, established in 1876. The town at its peak had a population of 1500, two newspapers, a school, fire department, two smelters, and a stamp mill. The town declined after 1880, with a fire in 1883 destroying a third of the town. The post office closed in 1888. Mining revived briefly in the 1930s and 1960s. The town has been mostly destroyed by repeated flash flooding due to its low-lying site. Only the smelter, mill foundations, and cemetery are left.

The charcoal ovens are two miles to the south of the townsite. Six large ovens remain in excellent repair, 30feet high, 27feet in diameter, with walls 2feet thick at the base. The ovens were in operation from 1876 through 1879. They were built of quartz latite welded tuff by itinerant Swiss Italian masons known as carbonari, who specialized in the ovens. The beehive shape was designed as a more efficient version of the open-pit system that originated in Italy. The charcoal ovens prepared charcoal from locally harvested timber for use in the smelters at Ward, using 30 to 60 bushels of charcoal per ton of ore, for 16,000 bushels a day. The Ward ovens are the best-preserved of their kind in Nevada. They were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

ParkThe area was under private ownership and management until 1956, when the Nevada State Park Commission was offered a permit to protect the ovens. Two privately owned parcels were transferred to the Nevada Department of Wildlife in 1968; and in 1969, 160 acres were transferred to the state park system to create a state monument. The area was designated a state park in 1994, when recreational facilities were added to the site.

Activities and amenities

The park offers camping, picnicking, and trails for hiking and mountain biking.

External links

Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park Nevada State Parks
Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park Trail Map Nevada State Parks

Notes and References

Web site: 2018 . Division of State Parks Performance Audit . Nevada Legislature.