Highlights:
Pair of rhyolite kilns from the 1870s, used to produce charcoal for nearby silver mines. At the edge of the Cedar Range, 11 miles east of Panaca, reached by an unpaved road
Management:
Location:
Seasons:
Spring, summer, fall - road is snow-covered in winter
Rating (1-5):
★★★★★
Weather:
Many stone kilns were built across the West in the mid to late 19th century, used to burn wood to produce charcoal, a fuel needed for smelting in the mining industry. Two of the more famous surviving examples are at Wildrose and near Ely (the Ward Ovens), while another is found 11 miles east of Panaca in far eastern Nevada, in high desert sagebrush land in the foothills of the Cedar Range.
The two Panaca Kilns, a BLM-managed site, have the characteristic beehive shape and were constructed in the 1870s out of the local reddish bedrock; they operated for around 20 years until the silver mines they supplied, at Pioche (15 miles northwest) and Bullionville (12 miles west) were closed, but the remote location, in a valley several miles from a main road, have ensured that the structures survive intact, though the original site comprised three kilns; nothing remains of the third.
The kilns have a scenic setting, surrounded by greenery, and complemented by the similarly-colored rocks exposed atop the nearby hills.
The two Panaca Kilns, a BLM-managed site, have the characteristic beehive shape and were constructed in the 1870s out of the local reddish bedrock; they operated for around 20 years until the silver mines they supplied, at Pioche (15 miles northwest) and Bullionville (12 miles west) were closed, but the remote location, in a valley several miles from a main road, have ensured that the structures survive intact, though the original site comprised three kilns; nothing remains of the third.
The kilns have a scenic setting, surrounded by greenery, and complemented by the similarly-colored rocks exposed atop the nearby hills.
Panaca Kilns Table of Contents
Map of the Panaca Kilns
Location
The kilns are reached by a five mile, unsigned gravel track off Hwy 319, 12 miles east of Panaca and 1.3 miles southeast of Panaca Summit (6,718 feet). The track is accessible to most vehicles during dry weather, from spring to fall, though usually closed by snow in the winter. It descends into a valley, follows this upstream, then crosses a low divide and drops down into the larger valley of Kiln Wash, past a junction near Kiln Spring and continues a short distance to the side track to the kilns, situated on the opposite (east) bank of the wash. The track then proceeds northwestwards, meeting the paved road to Echo Canyon Reservoir after ten miles, this the route used to transport the charcoal, connecting with other tracks to the many nearby mines.
The Kilns
Wood used was the local pinyon pine, gathered from the hillsides and valley floor, producing logs up to 2 feet in diameter. Juniper is also present in the vicinity but was not favored due to its lower burning temperature. Prior to the construction of the kilns, charcoal was made here in pits, by burning logs then covering them with earth, and the sites of at least four can still be seen, on the west side of the road just north of the kilns. The kilns are constructed from rhyolite tuff, quarried from an outcrop a short distance northeast.
Panaca Kilns - Nearby Places
- Cathedral Gorge State Park (19 miles) - pinnacles, hoodoos, narrow ravines and short caves
- Echo Canyon State Park (17 miles) - 70 acre reservoir lined by volcanic rocks
Panaca Kilns - Similar Places
- Charcoal Kilns, Death Valley National Park - row of kilns below Wildrose Peak
- Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park, Nevada - six charcoal ovens in the Egan Range south of Ely
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