Standing in the Death Valley National Park are 10 well-preserved beehive-shaped kilns, built in 1877 to turn pine logs into charcoal. Constructed by the Modock Consolidated Mining Company, they were meant to provide fuel for the two smelters next to the lead-silver mines nearby. The kilns were only operational for two years however, which might have led to their pristine and remarkable condition despite being built more than a century ago. Evidence suggests that either the company found better fuel sources, or that it was more profitable to send the ores elsewhere for processing. Whatever the case is, the well-preserved kilns remain an architectural marvel and can be explored freely by visitors coming to the national park.