This little article was aimed at cataloging the origins of the steamer pier at Kames, on the Kerry shore of the Kyles of Bute, just a mile or so from Auchenlochan and a few miles from Tighnabruaich. However, the impact of the Kames Gunpowder Works in the development of the surrounding area has held a fascination for me over the years. What follows is a brief account of the Gunpowder Works and this is followed by an account of the subsequent feuing and the construction of the steamer pier to anchor the community of Kames. Gunpowder is a mixture of charcoal and sulfur with saltpetre (nitrate) as oxidant and in 1839, a company was set up at Millhouse, near Kames on the Kyles of Bute, to refine saltpetre and produce the explosive mixture. A good account of the works appeared in the Glasgow Herald in 1853. “Kames Gunpowder Company’s Works.—(from the Greenock Advertiser.) Among the many...