Jim Carlson
A couple of the Sun Lakes Jeep Owners took an early morning trek to the Coke Ovens about 15 miles east of Florence, Ariz, near the ghost towns of Cochran and Butte City. To reach the ovens, officially called the Gila Charcoal Kilns, we traveled down dried up washes, crossed the Gila River and navigated a trail down a mesquite canopy. Actually, an easy trip! The five ovens were completed in 1883 to support the smelter erected in Butte City. Each oven measures 30 ft high, 72 ft in circumference with two foot thick stone walls at the base. The ovens purpose was to reduce mesquite to charcoal since the latter burned hotter and longer than wood. If you live in Sun Lakes, own a Jeep and want to have fun or just meet other Jeep owners, contact us at: sunlakesjeeps@hotmail.com.