Cottonwood Charcoal Kilns
California State Historic Landmark 537
05/22/97
#537 "Cottonwood Charcoal Kilns"
In June 1873 Colonel Sherman Stevens built a sawmill and flume on Cottonwood Creek
high in the Sierras directly west of this spot. The flume connected with the Los Angeles Bullion
Road. The lumber from the flume was used for timbering in the mine and buildings, and the wood was
turned into charcoal in these kilns, then hauled to Steven's Wharf east of here on Owens Lake. There
it was put on the steamer the "Bessie Brady" or the "Mollie Stevens," hauled directly across the
lake, and from there wagons took it up the "Yellow Grade" to Cerro Gordo Mine, high in the Inyo
Mountains above Keeler. M.W. Belshaw's furnaces had used all available wood around the Cerro Gordo
and this charcoal was necessary to continued production.
The bullion which was then taken out by the reverse of this route was hauled to Los Angeles on
Remi Nadeau's 14, 16, 18 animal freight wagons and played a major part in the building of that
little pueblo into the city of today.
05/22/97
1.0 mi E of Hwy 395 (PM 44.5), 7.0 mi N of Cartago.
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