“Kilns, Kilns, and More Kilns: Remnants of Western Industry” is the newest exhibit at the Jefferson County Museum. This exhibit features images of an historical remnant critical to the nineteenth century mining industry in the Western states—the stone or brick kiln. These large ovens allowed materials to be heated to high temperatures under controlled conditions. Most photographs show old kilns that transformed wood into charcoal, an important fuel which produced high temperatures needed for smelting raw ores during the frontier era. These conical structures of stone or brick allow...