Wyoming, Uinta County, near Fort Bridger![]()
Four panels are located at the kiosk
Town of Piedmont
Located west of the kilns, the town of Piedmont started out as a logging camp supplying ties for the approaching Union Pacific Railroad in the 1860s. It also served as a base camp for graders building the railroad bed over nearby Aspen Mountain. More and more people moved to Piedmont to work for the railroad or logging operations. The town became a thriving community - complete with a general store, hotel, school, post office, and several saloons.
First Residents
Among the first settlers in the area were the Moses Byrne family and the Charles Guild family. In fact, Piedmont was originally named Byrne, but the name was changed to prevent confusion with the nearby town of Bryan. Mrs. Byrne and Mrs. Guild -who were sisters and natives of Piedmont, Italy - chose the name of Piedmont which means "foot of the mountains" in Italian.
Local Legends
In 1896, Butch Cassidy met up with his boys in Piedmont before riding off to rob the Montpelier, Idaho bank. Treasure seekers still search for the stolen gold reportedly buried nearby. Calamity Jane, frontierswoman and professional scout, apparently lived in Piedmont as a young girl.
Town's Passing
Around 1901, the railroad line was rerouted a few miles north of Piedmont through the newly completed Aspen Tunnel. Without the railroad, the logging and charcoal businesses collapsed - it was the beginning of the end. Piedmont struggled on until the 1940s, when the Guild Mercantile Store closed for lack of business. Remnants of old homes, the kilns, and cemeteries still exist today.
Piedmont Kilns
With vast timber stands in the nearby Uinta Mountains, Moses Byrne saw an opportunity, and in 1869 he built kilns to supply charcoal for the iron smelting industry in Utah. The conical-shaped kilns measured 30 feet across and 30 feet high. These kilns are one of the best remaining, intact set of charcoal kilns in the region. The making of charcoal stopped in the early 1900s when the Union Pacific rail line was rerouted north of Piedmont, leaving Bryne with no economical means of transporting his product to market.
Kiln Design
Moses Byrne built the kilns out of local materials - sandstone and limestone. Each kiln has a large doorway and a high-placed, back-side window for loading cordwood. Vent holes were designed around the bottom of each kiln so that charcoal makers could adjust the airflow during use. Once workers filled a kiln with logs, large metal coverings were mortared into place over the doorway and window to seal it before firing.
Charcoal Making
Charcoal, which resembles coal, is a brittle lightweight, black porous substance that is 85% to 98% carbon. This process, called pyrolysis, removes the water and volatile compounds from the organic material without burning it. For centuries, charcoal was favored as a fuel source because it burns hotter, cleaner, and more slowly than wood.
Uses
Much of the charcoal made at Piedmont was sent by railroad to mining ore smelters in Utah's Salt Lake Valley. Charcoal, which burns at more than 2,000ºF, is used in smelting - a process of extracting metal, such as lead or copper, from its ore. Charcoal was also shipped to Fort Bridge as fuel for blacksmith forges.
Process
Workers filled the kilns with about 30 cords of pine logs, harvested in the nearby mountains. The logs were packed tight and double stacked end-to-end. The wood was lit, but not allowed to fully burn, just smolder. Charcoal makers controlled the heat by plugging small air vent holes around the base of the kiln. It took six to eight days of slow firing to reduce the wood to charcoal. Cooling took another five days. On average, 100 parts of wood yielded about 25 parts of charcoal, by weight.
Union Pacific Railroad
The construction of the transcontinental railroad was one of the most significant events in the history of the West. Town sprang up all along its tracks, some permanent, some short-lived. In 1868, the railroad arrived at Piedmont. Over the next 35 years, the town would experience thriving logging and charcoal-making industries, commerce, and population growth - all tied to the existence of the railroad.
Rerouting the Railroad
In 1901, the railroad completed a mile-long tunnel through Aspen Mountains, eliminating the previous rail route over the summit. Trains were rerouted from LeRoy to the tunnel, bypassing the town of Piedmont.
Helper Engines
Trains approached Aspen Mountains west of Piedmont required helper engines to ascend the steep eight-miles grade. A siding, engine shed, and water tank, were built in the town to house and maintain helper engines.
Delay of the Golden Spike
The Golden Spike ceremony, celebrating completion of the transcontinental railroad, was scheduled to take place Promontory Point, Utah on May 7, 1869. The day before, the train carrying Union Pacific Vice President Thomas Durant was halted at Piedmont by railroad ties piled on the tracks and 300 angry workers - who demanded $200,000 in back pay, Red-faced, Durant wired for the money and paid the workers. His car was hooked to the next train, and the historic ceremony took place on May 10, three days late.
(Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Railroads & Streetcars) Includes location, directions, 7 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
Just ahead the road climbs to the level ground above the millpond. The ravine like depression in which it follows represents more natural wear from horses, carriages and wagons than any recent grading. It is a visible reminder that the roadway here has been in use nigh on to 300 years.
It is the morning of June 6, 1864. Rain has created a muddy mess. To your left are four cannon. To your right are 600 cavalrymen and two more cannon. These men serve under Confederate Colonel Colten Greene. To your front is Ditch Bayou, and 700 yards beyond that 3,000 troops under Union Major General A.J. Smith. Among them is the 8th Wisconsin with its mascot, Old Abe, the War Eagle.
The battle at Ditch Bayou was a Federal effort to drive Confederates away from the Mississippi River, where the Confederates had been harassing Union shipping. Even though the Confederates were outnumbered here, they were able to inflict heavy damage to their enemy. They had the advantage of six cannons, the protection of heavy timber and knowledge of the area.
(Front):
Port of the Genesee, New York. Original artwork by Christopher Blossom. Oil on Canvas 34" x 60" Commissioned by the law firm of Harris Beach and Wilcox. 
Our Comrades
Four panels are located at the kiosk
used from 1812 to 1912 
In recognition of
In recognition of
