Many people are familiar with the Ward Charcoal Ovens, the beehive-shaped stone historic landmarks located south of Ely. Few, however, realize the ovens were only part of a much larger mining district that included the town of Ward, once the largest community in White Pine County.
The town of Ward was established in 1872 by two wagon-drivers, William Ballinger and John Henry. Their discovery evolved into the Paymaster Mine, which soon attracted hundreds of fortune-seekers.
Within three years, Ward had more than 1,000 people. The camp was named for B.F. Ward, who along with two partners, laid out the town site. The following year, the region gained a 20-stamp mill, which was relocated to Ward from another mining camp.
Ward's most enduring structures, the six beehive-shaped Ward Charcoal Ovens, were constructed in 1876 to produce charcoal for the district's mining smelters.
The kilns, located about five miles south of the community of Ward, were built of native rock. They stand 30-feet high and 27-feet around at the base. When filled, each could contain 35 cords of pinion pine stacked in layers.
The dome-shape allowed the wood to be stacked easily, while heat could be adjusted and controlled by opening and closing small vents at the base of the ovens. The massive ovens were abandoned by the early 1880s, when Ward's mines played out.
Over the next century, the intriguing stone buildings were used for a variety of purposes, including as stables and emergency lodging for itinerate sheepherders and cowboys.
The stone kilns were eventually acquired by the Nevada Division of State Parks and have been designated as an historical site.
As for the town of Ward, it peaked in 1877 when its population climbed to 2,000 residents and the town was large enough to support two newspapers, a Wells-Fargo office, a city hall, hotels and a large business district.
By 1880, however, the town was in a dramatic tailspin. Only about 250 residents remained and mines began shutting down. Additionally, promising discoveries at Cherry Creek, located about 70 miles north, began to draw many prospectors away.
Most of the town's wooden buildings were destroyed in a fire in 1883, including the city hall and the school. Two years later, only one business remained open in the struggling camp and the population had dwindled to 25.
In the intervening years, the district mines have been occasionally reworked including from about 1910 to 1920 and again in the 1930s and 1960s.
More recently, the area has again become an active mining district and the few remaining ruins of old Ward have been closed to the public. The historic Ward Cemetery, located one-mile east of the town, however, is open to the public and offers a handful of wooden and marble headstones.
The Ward Charcoal Ovens remain a popular place to explore. In addition to the six kilns, the area, which sits at the base of Ward Mountain, has a few undeveloped campsites and picnic tables.
An unmaintained dirt road heads west of the ovens and winds upward through picturesque pinon trees. Along the way, you pass the rock walls and foundations of a couple of long-abandoned miner's shacks, which have been almost swallowed by the sagebrush and grasses.
And if you stand inside one of the cone-shaped ovens and hold your breath, you swear you hear faint voices telling Ward's story. Or perhaps it’s just the wind.
The Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historical Monument is located 12 miles south of Ely via U.S. 50 and a marked dirt road. For more information about the area, go to http://parks.nv.gov/parks/ward-charcoal-ovens.
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