Rick Just
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Author
  • Speaker
  • Contact

Those Beehive Charcoal Kilns (Tap to Read)

12/3/2021

Comments

 
The charcoal kilns near Leadore resemble the skep or beehive depicted on the state flag of Utah. Made from local clay, they fit in well with the vast landscape of the Lemhi Valley. They are located about halfway between Salmon and Idaho Falls, some six miles west of State Highway 28.
 
Only four of the 16 original kilns survive today, now protected and interpreted by the US Forest Service and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 
The kilns are dwarfed by the towering mountains on both sides of the valley. They seem small at first, but as you approach them their scale becomes more apparent. They are 20 feet high—about the height of a two-story house—and 21-and-half feet in diameter. The circumference around the 14-inch-thick walls is about 73 feet.
 
Warren King of Butte, Montana, constructed the kilns in 1885 to service the needs of the Viola mine smelter across the valley in Nicholia. The kilns operated from 1885 to 1889. It was not a small operation. Some 200 men—mostly Irish, Italian, and Chinese immigrants—worked the nearby forests cutting, sawing, and transporting four-foot lengths of log, then carefully arranging them inside each kiln, stacked on end. The two-day burn reduced about 35 cords of wood to 500 pounds of charcoal.
 
Following a fire at the hoisting works, the Viola mine closed in 1889. The price of lead and silver kept it closed.
 
Locals discovered the utility of the perfectly good bricks and made most of the kilns into buildings and walls around the valley.

Picture
​The Charcoal Kilns located off State Highway 28 near Leadore, Idaho. The kilns are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Speaking of Idaho history posts are copyright © 2020 by Rick Just. Sharing is encouraged. If you don’t find a button that lets you do that, find the post on Speaking of Idaho. If you’re missing my daily posts, select the RSS button, or select See it First under the Facebook Following tab.
Comments
    Like and follow Speaking of Idaho on Facebook and Twitter.

    Subscribe to the Speaking of Idaho newsletter

    * indicates required
    Email Format
    Picture
    The first book in the Speaking of Idaho series is out. Ask for it at your local Idaho bookstore, find it on Amazon, or, if you want a signed copy, click the button.
    Picture
    Rick's book about Fearless Farris is available on Amazon! Click the picture above to be taken to Amazon. If you'd like an autographed copy, click the button below.

    Author, Speaker

    Rick Just has been writing about Idaho history since 1989 when he wrote and recorded scripts for the Idaho Centennial Commission’s daily radio program, Idaho Snapshots. His latest book on Idaho history is Images of America, Idaho State Parks. Rick also writes a regular column for the Idaho Press.

    Rick does public presentations on Idaho's state park history and the history of the Morrisite war for the Idaho Humanities Council's Speakers Bureau.
    ​


    Check out Rick's history of Idaho State Parks.

    The audio link below is to Rick's Story Story Night set called "Someplace Not Firth"

    RSS Feed

Speaking of Idaho history posts are copyright © 2023 by Rick Just. Sharing is encouraged. If you’re missing my daily posts, select the RSS button, or select See it First under the Facebook Following tab.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you follow a link (generally to a book) from my page to an Amazon page, I get a tiny percentage of any purchase you may make.