At some time in the far distant past, humans were able to domesticate fire, and this radically changed the way we prepared food. Cooking food became an important part of human life. In the beginning, cooking was done over an open flame, but with advances in metal technology, humans eventually learned how to contain fire in iron boxes and the wood-fired cook stove began to evolve. In 1802, British iron founder George Bodley patented a cast-iron range with a modern flue. This became the prototype for the cook stoves that dominated British and American kitchens.
Today museums have many examples of these wood-fired kitchen ranges. A few of these are shown below.
Presby House Museum, Goldendale, Washington
Wenatchee Valley Museum, Wenatchee, Montana
Museum of North Idaho, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
East Benton County Museum, Kennewick, Washington
Swan Valley Historical Museum, Condon, Montana
Fort Steele Heritage Village, British Columbia
Nevada City Living History Museum, Nevada City, Montana
Fort Dalles Museum, The Dalles, Oregon
Deschutes Historical Museum, Bend, Oregon
High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon
Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana
Heritage Museum, Libby, Montana
Butterfield Cottage, Seaside, Oregon
Renton History Museum, Renton, Washington