Ward Charcoal Ovens

Willow Creek, a year-round stream one-quarter mile to the north, was a major stopover for freighters on the Toano to Pioche route between 1870 and 1876, where bullwhackers turned out their sleepers, or tired oxen, and picked up rested ones to complete the journey. In March 1872, while searching for sleepers, John Henry and William Ballinger discovered silver ore in nearby Ward Gulch. By 1876, several claims had been staked, and the town of Ward had grown to a population of 1,500 and had two roasting furnaces to process ore. These six ovens were built in the mid-1870s to make charcoal to fuel Ward's roasting furnaces. Constructed by Italian masons, they are larger and of finer construction than most ovens found in Nevada, measuring 30 feet in height, 27 feet in diameter at the base, and holding approximately 35 cords of wood. Each cord of wood produced 30 bushels of charcoal, which was then hauled to the roasting furnaces at Ward. As railroads penetrated the West, charcoal was replaced by coke made from coal, and the charcoal-making industry faded away.

Preston, Nevada · United States