Cokedale was a mining camp founded in 1899 by American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) as a company town. The town is now designated on the National Register of Historic Places as the Cokedale Historic District. It’s named for Cokedale for its coke ovens. The remnants can be see on the south side of Hwy 12. These coke ovens were operate at very high temperatures. They turned coal into “coke”, which is a hard coal with the impurities removed. On the north side of the hwy you can see the mountains of slag which is the waste from the process. The mine was shut down in 1947.
Story on Cokedale by 9news. https://www.9news.com/article/travel/destinations/colorado-adventures/9adventures-history-cokedale-colorado/73-e9a71ed5-8e96-4ae9-914a-c2d741b14102