First attempts at Salt making. 117 



salt water obtained, but too weak, to come in competition with the 

 water of the salines." 



If the solid rock salt should ever be procured by sinking shafts, 

 it would be no better than the present salt water, as it would need to 

 be dissolved and recrystalized before it could be applied to domestic 

 purposes. 



For the early history of the salt business on the Kenawha, I am 

 indebted to Col. David Ruffner, who was among the first of the 

 manufacturers. 



Early history of the Salt Manufacture. 



At the first settling of the Kenawha river, a large Buffalo lick 

 was discovered on the N. E. side of the river, about six miles above 

 the mouth of Elk river, and a short distance above the mouth of 

 Campbell's creek, near the margin of the river at low water. 

 Nearly opposite to, the lick is a low gap in the ridge, through which 

 the buffalo and deer passed on their way to the lick, in such num- 

 bers, that their paths up and down the creek were worn so deep, as 

 to be visible at this day. For a considerable distance round the 

 lick, not only the herbage but the foliage of the trees, as high as the 

 animals could reach, was all eaten up by the buffaloes, after they 

 had drank of the salt water. If not disturbed by the hunters, they 

 generally remained here two or three days. At this spot, several 

 hollow logs, or " gums" were found, sunk into the gravel at tile mar- 

 gin of the river, and probably placed there by the Indians, as they 

 had every mark of great antiquity. In the same manner, the early 

 settlers sunk gums into the bed of the river, six or eight feet deep, 

 in which was collected a very weak water, and from it they made a 

 little salt for their own use. In the year 1794, Joseph Ruffner, of 

 Shenandoah County, Va., bought a tract of five hundred and two 

 acres, including the Buffalo lick ; and in 1795, he moved his family 

 on to the Kenawha, But little was done towards making salt, until 

 the year 1807, when David and Joseph Ruffner, sons of Joseph, 

 bought a tract of land a little above the Buffalo lick, and commenced 

 their operations about one hundred yards above the lick, where there 

 was no appearance of salt water. Having selected a " gum" or 

 hollow sycamore trunk, about eighteen feet long and three feet across 

 the cavity, they, with great labor and difficulty, sunk it in the gravel 

 and sand at the margin of the river, to the depth of fourteen feet, 

 down to the smooth sandstone rock which forms the bed of the river. 



