Hathaway-Lamping Coke Ovens - Frisco, CO - Ovens and Kilns on Waymarking.com

"The Hathaway-Lamping charcoal kilns, which operated more than 110 years ago, provided coke for blacksmiths, ore smelters, and blast furnaces. Wood charcoal, the most common charcoal variety, used to be prepared in kilns, or conical furnaces, in which piles of timber were ignited. As the wood burned, volatile compounds such as water and pitch were passed off as vapors into the air. Some of the wood was consumed as fuel, and the rest was converted into charcoal. Because charcoal in a restricted-air atmosphere is nearly pure carbon, it yields more heat in proportion to its volume than does a corresponding quantity of wood. Since locomotives used a considerable amount of fuel to pull trains up steep grades, a charcoal-wood mixture was preferred over wood alone. In addition, charcoal had another advantage: as a fuel, it is smokeless.

The remains of eight blackened kilns stand today, ranging in height from five feet to a few inches tall. Originally, these beehive-shaped ovens were 20 to 30 feet high and 40 feet in diameter. Owned and operated by Friscoites Joe Lamping and John Hathaway, they were constructed of local clay and bricks. Near the remains is an interpretive sign.

Kiln owners stayed in business as long as there was demand for charcoal and coke. It is estimated that, annually, more than 16,000 acres of timber were cut for charcoal-making during the height of the business in Colorado. Today's lodgepole pine and aspen forests are secondary growths.

Directions: The Charcoal Kilns are located on the Frisco-Breckenridge bicycle path behind the Summit County High Country Fire Training Center off County Road 1003 in Frisco. [Parking at N39° 34.036, W106° 05.006 or N39° 34.184, W106° 05.098]" (from (visit link) )

"Frisco was founded by Capt. Henry Learned in the early 1850s. Before the coming of the railroads, Frisco gained the distinction of being the "Half-Way Stop" on the wagon routes between Georgetown and Leadville. Frisco was initially served by the Denver & Rio Grande (D&RG) Railroad, starting in the summer of 1882. It granted the D&RG a 40-foot wide right of way between Main and Galena Streets and 20 acres for a depot and work area. The Denver, South Park & Pacific (DSP&P) Railroad reached Frisco a year later roughly following today's bicycle path. The DSP&P depot was below Mt. Royal. John Hathaway and Joe Lampkin owned and operated nearly 50 coke ovens near Ophir Mountain just south of Frisco. Much of Summit County had been stripped of forest. In addition to that needed by the mines, the railroads needed wood. It took 3,000 ties for every mile of railroad track. Both locomotives and smelters needed coke." (from (visit link) )

Type of Oven / Kiln: Coal / Coke Status: Historical Site Operating Dates: Approximately 1885 to 1910 Website: [Web Link] Additional Coordinate: Not Listed Additional Coordinate Description: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/06/2019 LLYN-lhvwn50 visited it