Atlas Obscura
Wheeler Kilns in Pahrump, Nevada
Smelting of metal ores requires carbon and high temperature to produce molten metal. Traditional smelting used charcoal, a carbon product made from widely available wood. Unsurprisingly, therefore, charcoal was used widely for smelting in the early days of mining in the American West, because transportation was primitive while scrub vegetation and forests were abundant. Because of this charcoal…