Industry
Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park in eastern Nevada preserves six late-19th-century beehive-shaped ovens built from 1876 to 1879 to make charcoal for the silver smelters at nearby Ward. The mining town, founded in 1876, briefly flourished to about 1,500 residents before decline set in after 1880, worsened by an 1883 fire and later flash floods. Built by Swiss Italian carbonari masons from quartz latite welded tuff, the ovens reflect an efficient adaptation of older Italian charcoal-making methods and supplied the immense fuel demands of ore processing. Surviving long after Ward faded, they are regarded as Nevada’s best-preserved ovens of their kind and are now protected as a state historic park.
Hear stories like this as you drive
ExploreHere reads historical markers out loud as you pass them: over 325,000 stories across the US. No account needed.
4.7 · 800+ ratings · Free
FIND IT
Preston, Nevada · United States
