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1. What are Coke Ovens?

These "beehive" coke ovens were constructed in the late 1890s to carbonize (or "coke") coal mined in the Coal Basin mines to the west for the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. The coke ovens were constructed from firebrick and are known as “beehives” due to their resemblance to old beehives. Coal was loaded through a hole in the top and converted to coke by burning the coal in an oxygen-deficient environment. The coke was then removed through a second opening in the front of each oven and loaded onto rail cars and shipped to various locations for use in smelting ores and for the production of steel.