Idaho’s abandoned places, ghost towns, and modern ruins make for unique places to explore, even if history isn’t your thing. We humans are explorers by nature, and the quest for discovery, both old and new is something that can reveal far more about a location’s slow fade into history than a textbook ever could.
Urban adventurers (with the term “urban” being used lightly here in Idaho) often turn their sights toward relics of old and the ruins of a more recent past. If you find beauty in ruins and historical decay, scattered throughout the state are a number of hidden gems – sites that don’t make the lists of Idaho’s big-name attractions or historical markers, but probably should. One such place is tucked away seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but is in fact hidden in plain sight: a set of modern ruins, four beehive-shaped earthen mounds that sit crumbling amidst the sagebrush prairie, standing tall against the harsh landscape.
Do you know what they are?
Made from clay said to be from deposits along Jump Creek, over a dozen of these hut-like domes were built in the mid 1880s by Warren King of Butte, Montana.
Together, they produced close to 50,000 bushels of charcoal per month. Douglas Fir, hauled from various other sites in the valley, was the preferred wood due to its burn rate. Before this, charcoal was produced in deep pits bored into the landscape. The parabolic or "beehive" shape is definitely a little more aesthetic, I think!
During the 1880s, the Birch Creek Valley was booming with mining activity as miners worked a rich body of ore located about 10 miles east of the kilns, known as the Viola Mine.
Between 1881 and 1888 it produced $2.5 million worth of lead and silver, which was extracted from the ore by a smelter located near the mine. The smelter contained two blast furnaces, each capable of handling 40 tons of ore per day. The furnace required immense quantities of fuel, resulting in the need for charcoal kilns to keep a constant supply on hand.
But when Viola shut down in 1888, the kiln huts were abandoned - only two to three years after being built.
Of the original 16, twelve were torn apart and the bricks incorporated into various buildings around the valley. The remaining four were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, protecting them from further dismantling. The site is also a part of the Targhee National Forest.
The 40 cords worth of wood that remained inside the kilns or stacked nearby were carried away as well.
But as far as unexpected discoveries in the obscure outer limits of Idaho is concerned, these massive "modern" ruins are pretty intriguing, wouldn't you say?
Similar structures can be found in both Death Valley and Wyoming, as well as scattered throughout the West - but the perfect dome shape of the Birch Creek kilns sets them apart.
You can find these uniquely rustic gems 5 miles west of Highway 28, near Leadore and Gilmore.
Have you ever seen or visited these unique beehive kilns? Share your photos with us!
Another set of a different time period and composition sits at the Land of the Yankee Fork State Park in Challis, so be sure to check those out as well. While you’re at it, history buffs might also enjoy touring this behemoth piece of mining history.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
