Birch Creek Valley Charcoal Kilns - Idaho - Ovens and Kilns on Waymarking.com

In 1881, a young cowboy discovered lead ore in Birch Creek Valley. The Viola Mine (10 miles to NE of this site) was bought by an English based mining company from Leadville, Colorado and the mine went into full production in 1884. In 1885, a smelter with two blast furnaces was built to increase profits by processing the ore at the mine. In 1885, to support the smelter, J.W. and W.C. King of Butte, Montana began construction of sixteen charcoal kilns which were completed in 1886. This site was chosen for the nearby timber and water supply. The kilns were twenty feet tall, with plastered brick walls nearly a foot thick. To support the charcoal kilns the town of Woodland was located just west of the kilns and had a population of 150, many who worked cutting, burning, and hauling wood and charcoal. In 1888, the ore quality dropped and the mine and smelter shut down. The kilns were also closed and abandoned. Over the years twelve kilns were torn down and the used for buildings in the Lemhi Valley and on the Snake River Plain. During the roughly 2 years of operation of the sixteen kilns, 150,000 cords of wood were turned into charcoal. Of the four remaining kilns, two are intact while the domes of the other two have collapsed. The kilns were placed on the National Register of Historic Places on Feb. 23, 1972.
The Caribou-Targhee National Forest’s Charcoal Kilns Interpretive Site is located on the Spring Mountain Road about 5 miles west of Idaho Hwy. 28, about 30 miles southeast of Leadore, Idaho. The site preserves the four remaining charcoal kilns that occupied this site at Coal Kiln Spring. The site includes an interpretive trail with signs and a picnic area.

Type of Oven / Kiln: Wood / Charcoal Status: Historical Site Operating Dates: 1885 - 1888 Website: [Web Link] Additional Coordinate: Not Listed Additional Coordinate Description: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Tell of your visit, and post original photos of the waymark and yourself/gps if possible.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   10/07/2010 Volcanoguy visited it