During the was there were as many as 800 people working at this plant. It was located here because of large local deposits of
magnesite, the major constituent of refractory brick, which is used in blast furnaces, kilns and incinerators.
Discovered in the Huckleberry Mountains west of Chewelah, magnesite led to the formation of the Northwest Magnesite Company, which built a large plant just south of Chewelah to “deadburn” or “calcinate” the ore to reduce it for shipment to steel manufacturers. This and other, smaller companies provided the lifeblood of the community through two world wars and beyond. The local availability of magnesite also led to the formation of a large brick factory, the Chewelah Brickyard, in the town.
It was advances in steel making technology that eventually obviated the need for magnesite, which spelled the death knell for the industry in Chewelah. The final plant closed in 1968. Today this kiln and a few building remnants are all that is left of a once thriving industry.
This kiln is just west of the railway, which is just west of Highway 395, .8 miles south of the south end of Chewelah. Unless it's foggy or snowing really hard, the kiln is easily visible from the highway.