DISCOVERY OF ROCK SALT 1 9 



banks of the Salmon creek near Clarkston 2 miles north of 

 Ladd's Corners. Salt springs are moreover of frequent occur- 

 rence along almost all creeks and small streams, and salt was 

 formerly manufactured from some of them in small quantities. 

 In 1834 brine was found in Livingston Co. i\ miles 

 southwest of York. This supply after a time, ceased to 

 flow. Salt water was found by boring, in the town of Elba 

 8 miles northwest of Batavia. A number of brine springs 

 have been observed in Orleans Co. In Carlton, at Kendall 

 and at Holley, salt has been manufactured from saline 

 springs. At Oak Orchard also, salt has been made from 

 the natural brine. In Niagara Co. several brine springs 

 occur on Eighteen-Mile creek between Lockport and Lake 

 Ontario. 



DISCOVERY OF ROCK SALT 



It had been recognized by the New York geologists that 

 the Onondaga salt springs must be supplied from the 

 leaching of beds of rock-salt, and for a time efforts were 

 made to find it in the immediate vicinity of Onondaga Lake. 

 The various borings made on the reservation however 

 showed conclusively that no salt was there. With a more 

 careful study of the rocks of the Salina group it became 

 manifest that those enclosing the gravel-filled basin from 

 which the salt springs flowed were not the ones in which 

 salt could- be expected, and the conclusion was drawn that 

 the brine came from the south through an old river channel 

 now filled with gravel and sand and into which flowed the 

 salt water produced by the leaching of beds of salt interstrati- 

 fied with the salina shales. It remained for the existence 

 of rock-salt thus inferred in this geological horizon to be 

 demonstrated accidentally in the boring of an oil well in 

 Western New York. The history of the discovery and 

 development of the salt beds of western New York has been 

 discussed at length by Mr I. P. Bishop.* 



* Report of the State Geologist for 18S4. 



