The Long Way
White Pine County
A stone beehive oven stands outdoors against a mountain backdrop.
Plate I. Beehive charcoal ovens, Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park. From parks.nv.gov
A row of stone kilns sits in a desert landscape under a blue sky with clouds.
Plate II. Historic ovens, Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park. From parks.nv.gov
A row of stone beehive-shaped kilns stands in a landscape under a cloudy sky.
Plate III. Beehive ovens at Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park. From parks.nv.gov
A row of stone beehive kilns stand in an open landscape under a partly cloudy sky.
Plate IV. Beehive charcoal ovens, Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park. From parks.nv.gov
Stone beehive kilns stand under a starry night sky.
Plate V. Beehive charcoal ovens, Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park. From parks.nv.gov
A row of stone beehive kilns stands under a dramatic cloudy sky.
Plate VI. Beehive charcoal ovens, Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park. From parks.nv.gov
A person shines a flashlight near stone kilns under a starry night sky.
Plate VII. Charcoal ovens at night, Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park. From parks.nv.gov
An exterior view of stone structures surrounded by tall green grass.
Plate VIII. Stone oven, Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park. From parks.nv.gov

Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park

Ely, White Pine County, Nevada. State Historic Park; Open seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Details

Map. Ely, White Pine County, Nevada. Larger map
Where
1696 Cave Valley Rd, Ely, NV 89315. Directions
When
Always Open.
Fees
$5.00 ($10 for Non-NV Vehicles).
Access
Fire Restrictions in Place - No Campfires Allowed.
Phone
775-289-1693
Managed by
Nevada State Parks.
Established
Ovens used 1876 through 1879.

Perched in the Egan Mountain Range in eastern Nevada, a scenic, forested retreat featuring six beehive shaped charcoal ovens that were used from 1876 through 1879 to help process rich silver ore.

Notable Events

  1. 1872While searching for sleepers, John Henry and William Ballinger discovered silver ore in nearby Ward Gulch. hmdb.org
  2. 1872Silver ore was discovered here in 1872 when freighters were looking for oxen that were grazing in the Willow Creek Basin area. parks.nv.gov
  3. 1875The Martin & White Company from San Francisco invested money to extract silver ore, bought up several small claims and built smelters (furnaces) for melting ores. parks.nv.gov
  4. 1876The Ward Charcoal Ovens operated from 1876 through 1879, the silver boom years of the Ward mines; they were phased out due to depleted ore deposits and a shortage of available timber. parks.nv.gov
  5. 1956The C.B. Land and Cattle Company of Ely issued a special use permit to the Nevada State Park Commission for the purpose of protecting the historical Ward Charcoal Ovens. parks.nv.gov
  6. 1968Two privately owned parcels were transferred to the Nevada Department of Wildlife. parks.nv.gov
  7. 1969160 acres were transferred to the State Park System creating Ward Charcoal Ovens Historic State Monument. parks.nv.gov
  8. 1994The State Park designation was added in 1994. parks.nv.gov

People

  • John Henry, discovered silver ore in nearby Ward Gulch (1872).
  • William Ballinger, discovered silver ore in nearby Ward Gulch (1872).

Sources

  1. parks.nv.gov/parks/ward-charcoal-ovens
  2. parks.nv.gov/learn/park-histories/ward-charcoal-ovens-history
  3. parks.nv.gov/fees