Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park
|
Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park
|
||
 Ward Charcoal Ovens |
||
| location | White Pine County in Nevada (USA) | |
| surface | 250 ha | |
| Geographical location | 39 ° 2 ' N , 114 ° 51' W | |
|
||
| Setup date | 1969 | |
| administration | Nevada Division of State Parks | |
The Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park is a State Park in White Pine County in the State of Nevada . The approximately 250 hectare park has existed since 1969. It is located 30 km south of Ely and is accessible from the combined US Highway 50 and US Highway 93 via the Cave Valley Road . It takes its name from six well-preserved beehive-shaped stone ovens that were built in 1876 for the production of charcoal . The Ward Charcoal Ovens are registered on the National Register of Historic Places under ID 71000491.
Willow Creek , located in what is now the park, has long served as a resting place and watering place for teams of oxen passing through . During an ox exchange in 1872, silver deposits were discovered in the nearby mountains, the Mining District of Ward was created and with it 8 km to the north, today's ghost town of Ward with up to 1500 inhabitants. The silver mines were plentiful and high-quality fuel was needed to melt the silver ore . In 1876 the six ovens were built by Italian masons ("Carbonari") using quartz and tuff from the area. In the ovens, pinyon pines , juniper , aspen and sagebrush were made into charcoal. The concave shape of a beehive reflected the heat into the center and an opening at the top allowed the smoke to escape. The air flow could be changed through various openings and the temperature could be regulated. The ovens are 9 meters high and have a diameter of 8 meters at the bottom. They were in operation until at least 1879. A furnace filling consisted of 35 cords , with one cord equivalent to 3.62 m³. The charring process took 12 days and yielded 50 bushels of charcoal. It took 30–50 bushels to melt an American ton of ore. At the end of the 1870s, all wood within a radius of 56 km had been felled and recycled.
To the south of the furnaces there are meter-high remains of Tertiary volcanism in the form of tuff and quartz latite . Sagittarius and grasses dominate the plain, while pinyon pines and junipers grow on the slopes. Bank plants, willows, and wild roses can be found along Willow Creek. Badgers, coyotes, hares, magpies, larks and corvids also populate the area.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from August 19, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park ( July 4, 2008 memento in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Nevada Division of State Parks - Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park ( February 26, 2009 memento in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Ward pictures from nevada photos on webshots
- ^ Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park, a Nevada State Park
Web links
- Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park at Nevada Division of State Parks
- History of Ward ( Memento of December 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park on the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System