Lime Kiln Site, Tucson, AZ
Posted by: 
tugies
N 32° 18.641 W 111° 03.263
12S E 494880 N 3574874
Remnants of several lime kilns in west Tucson, AZ
Waymark Code: WMM0Z9
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 06/29/2014
Views: 25
Drive north on Silverbell Road and you still can spot the remnants of one kiln on the west side of the road just north of West Sunset Road. Six to seven of these kilns were said to have been built in the late 1800s.
Lime kilns were built along North Silverbell Road to melt limestone being excavated from the Tucson Mountains. Built out of adobe bricks and surrounded by mounds of earth, the cone-shaped lime kiln resembles a brick pizza oven of sorts. Some of the bricks are bright orange.
Limestone was excavated at the edge of the Tucson Mountains, and horse-drawn wagons would transport the material to the kilns, where it was melted into lime. "It was used to coat the inside of adobe houses, like plaster," said Burgess, who is the president of the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society.
Palo verde and mesquite wood used for fuel. One load of quicklime took as much as 15 cords of wood and four days of roasting to produce. The lime produced was used in construction throughout the Tucson area, and also in mining. The lands around the kilns in the Tucson area were denuded of wood for miles. “The extent of woodcutting and disappearance of trees was so great that the operation of the kilns in the vicinity of the saguaro forest was ended by court order in 1920…because of the outcry of local ranchers.”
Type of Oven / Kiln: Lime / Limestone
Status: Historical Site
Operating Dates: 1886-1920
Website: [Web Link]
Additional Coordinate: Not Listed
Additional Coordinate Description: Not listed
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