The Historic Morrison Charcoal Ovens

There are quite a few historic charcoal ovens dotting around our state, and I have been wanting to see one up close for a little while now. So when we zipped past these 2 on our way to the U-Dig Trilobite Quarry, I made sure to make a return trip to come see them. These particular ovens were built in 1882 and are the remaining 2 of 4. 1 is complete, the other the roof has collapsed. But they are both really neat.

Quick Details:

Length: Pretty much get out and look, but you can walk maybe 100 feet out to see them up close..
Difficulty: DR2. Super short and easy.
Elevation Gain: NA
Restroom: No. Nearest public restrooms I am aware of are at gas stations in Nephi or Delta. I am not aware of any public restrooms in Leamington.
Dogs? As far as I can tell they are fine. But I mean, you’re only going to spend a couple minutes here so no biggie.
Other Info:The sign for these does not give you any notice at all before the pull out. See” ‘To Get Here’ below for what to look for.

To Get Here:

This is just east of Leamington, Utah which is 28.4 miles west of Nephi, Utah on SR132. So if coming that way go about 25 miles or so. When you see the cement plant (trust me, you will not be able to miss it) you are almost there and start paying attention to the right side of the road.

If you are coming from Delta, take HW6 to SR132 (about 21 miles). After you pass through Leamington look for them on the left.

The cement factory east of the ovens (DBP).

We missed these on our first pass, but hit them on the way home. The ideal parking is just east of them on the north side of the road. But if coming from the west, there is a small pullout on that side of the road as well.

The Ovens:

One of them appears to be mostly intact, while the other the roof has collapsed.

A little closer. Wow, this is neat.

Hrm. I am kind of thinking this one may have been restored. Actually, the other one has remnants of the brick top as well, so maybe not.

Neat!

We noticed a trail below, and a thin trail down to it so we thought we would explore.

This is neat!

Inside.

Looking up at the ceiling.

If you tag historical artifacts, you are an asshole. This is the kind of stuff that makes them remove access to us. Here in Salt Lake we have the Lime Kilns in Limekiln Gulch that had to be fenced off because of the damage from the nearby college kids. Can we just… appreciate history without marking it up?

Outside again.

The collapsed one.

I have no idea how these worked, but it is interesting that they have doorways on one side and windows on the other side. I’m guessing the fire was below and the wood came in and out of that window.

Oh, the collapsed one has the bricks at the top too. Maybe the other one is in original condition.

The doorway.

Looking up.

I had to stitch a couple photos together to get the whole thing.

Outside again.

Both of them.

Information sign on the east side. This answers a few questions. These were built in 1882. And as I suspected, the wood was piled in through the charge door (the upper window) and a fire was built below them, and a torch went through the lower door to light the fire. The holes you can see around the base were closed or opened to help control the temperature. Neat!

It also says there were originally 4, but doesn’t mention what happened to the other 2. I didn’t think to go back and see if there was any remnants of the other 2.

Mountains above.

It looks like this is where they want you to park. See that sign to the left, yea, that is the sign for the historical marker ahead so you get 5 feet of warning for the parking lot, and maybe 30 feet to register what it is you are looking at. I guess that is a little better than the signs that say Historical Site --> and you look down the random dirt road and can’t see anything. In fact, there was one today between Delta and the quarry. I typically skip those unless I am feeling particularly adventurous.

These ovens are squeezed between the highway and a railroad. It is amazing they managed to preserve them.

From the other side again.

Little swirly clouds at the bottom of the big storm cloud.

Well, that was a neat little side trip, but we still had a long ways to go before getting home so we decided to get a going again. But I really enjoyed stopping by to see them and learn about them. Really fun, 8 out of 10 squirrels. I definitely wouldn’t make this a destination, but it was a fun side trip for todays adventure. Or maybe if you are going to Topaz Mountain, or Little Sahara. Or, if you don’t mind a 60 mile side trip while heading south.

As for difficulty, this can be get out and look, or you can walk 100 feet or so to get a little closer, walk inside etc.

Dogs I imagine are okay. Be sure to clean up after them.