Charcoal Kilns, Wickes Montana

6/14/2017

 

Charcoal Kilns, Wickes Montana

Wickes Montana was a silver boomtown in the 1870s and 1880s. Its heyday was over by the turn of the century. At present, it is a populated crossroads with few if any 19th century buildings. Most of the people living around Wickes today live in mobile homes. The coke oven pictured above is the only significant surviving structure from Wickes' boom period I saw during a 2014 visit. This coke oven is in great shape in spite of the fact that, seemingly, no efforts are being made to preserve it. The coke oven was probably built in the mid 1880s. The road through Wickes continues as a dirt road to the spectacular ghost town Comet. Comet can also be accessed from interstate 15 from the south. Basin is another interesting, nearby town.

Tailings Near Wickes Montana

All content on these pages Copyright Mark Hedlund 2012-2019. All rights reserved. Use in school projects and with links on social media is always okay. Please send me an email to request permission for any other use: hedlunch@yahoo.com Non-exclusive commercial publication rights for most photos is $25 per image.