﻿240 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  [Sect. 
  

  

  testify 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  salt 
  operations 
  here 
  in 
  prehistoric 
  times. 
  

   The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  basket 
  work 
  lying 
  directly 
  on 
  the 
  

   salt 
  has 
  given 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  supposition 
  that 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  rock- 
  

   salt 
  was 
  also 
  know 
  to 
  the 
  Indians. 
  

  

  The 
  springs 
  were 
  rediscovered 
  in 
  1791 
  by 
  John 
  Hayes 
  while 
  

   hunting. 
  In 
  that 
  day 
  of 
  slow 
  transportation 
  salt 
  was 
  not 
  so 
  

   readily 
  obtained 
  as 
  now 
  and 
  an 
  attempt 
  was 
  soon 
  made 
  to 
  use 
  

   the 
  waters 
  of 
  these 
  springs 
  for 
  making 
  salt. 
  This 
  was 
  three 
  

   years 
  after 
  the 
  first 
  attempt 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  make 
  salt 
  from 
  the 
  

   brine 
  springs 
  of 
  New 
  York.* 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  William 
  Darby's 
  

   visit 
  (about 
  18 
  17) 
  the 
  springs 
  had 
  been 
  in 
  active 
  operation 
  for 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  years 
  and 
  had 
  supplied, 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  extent, 
  the 
  demands 
  

   of 
  the 
  settlements 
  of 
  Attakapas 
  and 
  Opelousas.f 
  This 
  activity 
  

   was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  demand 
  and 
  increased 
  value 
  of 
  salt 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  

   war 
  of 
  1812. 
  The 
  operations 
  were 
  conducted 
  by 
  John 
  C. 
  Marsh 
  

   then 
  owner 
  of 
  the 
  island. 
  

  

  War 
  period: 
  1862-186J. 
  — 
  Following 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  Civil 
  

   war, 
  salt 
  became 
  very 
  scarce 
  and 
  John 
  Marsh 
  Avery, 
  the 
  18 
  year 
  

   old 
  son 
  of 
  Judge 
  D. 
  D. 
  Avery, 
  built 
  up 
  the 
  old 
  salt 
  works 
  

   established 
  by 
  his 
  grandfather 
  John 
  C. 
  Marshin 
  1812. 
  The 
  demand 
  

   soon 
  overtaxed 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  springs 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Avery 
  directed 
  

   his 
  negroes 
  to 
  clean 
  and 
  deepen 
  the 
  salt 
  wells. 
  The 
  negro 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  work 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  wells 
  when 
  he 
  had 
  reached 
  a 
  depth 
  

   of 
  16 
  feet 
  cried 
  up 
  to 
  " 
  Massa 
  John 
  " 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  struck 
  a 
  hard 
  

   log. 
  Mr. 
  Avery 
  descended 
  into 
  the 
  well 
  and 
  found 
  the 
  log 
  to 
  be 
  

   a 
  bed 
  of 
  rock 
  salt. 
  To 
  Mr. 
  Avery 
  therefore 
  belongs 
  the 
  honor 
  of 
  

   being 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  discover 
  an 
  important 
  rock 
  salt 
  deposit 
  in 
  North 
  

   America, 
  and, 
  considering 
  the 
  size 
  and 
  magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  deposit, 
  

   this 
  is 
  no 
  small 
  honor. 
  This 
  discovery. 
  May 
  6, 
  1862, 
  had 
  been 
  

   partially 
  foreseen 
  by 
  Thomassy. 
  In 
  i860, 
  in 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  

   brine 
  springs 
  on 
  Petite 
  Anse 
  he 
  states 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  

   dissolution 
  of 
  rocksalt 
  by 
  rain 
  water. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  Thomassy 
  's 
  

   second 
  visit 
  the 
  production 
  was 
  about 
  40 
  baskets 
  of 
  rock 
  salt 
  per 
  

  

  * 
  Mineral 
  Resources 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  for 
  1896. 
  Non-metallic 
  Products 
  

   Except 
  Coal. 
  Salt 
  by 
  E. 
  W. 
  Parker. 
  iSth 
  An. 
  Rept. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geol. 
  Sur. 
  

   1896-1897, 
  Part 
  V 
  (con.) 
  p. 
  1289. 
  

  

  f 
  The 
  Emigrants 
  Guide 
  etc. 
  by 
  Wm. 
  Darby, 
  New 
  York 
  1818 
  p. 
  68. 
  

  

  % 
  Geologic 
  Pratique 
  p. 
  78, 
  i860. 
  

  

  