A. Winchellon the Saliferous Rocks of Michigan. 309 



When the first geological survey of the state was organized in 

 1837, Dr. Houghton, the superintendent, was instructed to direct 

 his attention to the development of the "State salt springs." 

 In pursuance of his investigations, and with the liberal coopera- 

 tion of the legislature, he began, in 1838, two salt wells— one 

 three miles west of Grand Eapids, and the other in Midland 

 county on the Tittabawassee river. The latter, after being 

 prosecuted at intervals for four years, had reached the depth of 

 only 139 feet when the work seems to have been obstructed 

 by a "quartzose" boulder. The Grand Eapids well was sunk 

 473 feet but without success. In the mean time Hon. Lucius 

 Lyon of Grand Eapids sank a well 661 feet at a point further 

 east; and, obtaining water about one-fifth saturated, succeeded 

 in manufacturing salt for a few years, at a time when salt was 

 seUing for $3.00 per barrel. 



The cause of these early failures is now apparent. Dr. Hough- 

 ton entertained erroneous views of the structural geology of the 

 peninsula. He expressed the opinion (Eeport, 1839, p. 9) that 

 the strike of the rocks was northeast and southwest across the 

 peninsula— that Saginaw bay occupied a denuded space along 

 the outcrop of "the sandstone" just where it comes in contact 

 with " the limestone of the north"— that the coal on the Illinois 

 river was on the strike of the coal-bearing rocks of Michigan— 

 and the galeniferous limestone of Wisconsin and Illinois a pro- 

 longation of " a portion of the rock formation in the northern 

 part" of Michigan. He further supposed that the brines of the 

 state rose to the surface through fissures in the strata overlying 

 the salt rock (Eep., 1838, p. 21; also special Eep., 1&39, pp 2 

 and 3), and that the geological positions of the state wells on the 

 Tittabawassee and Grand Eivers were about the same (Spec. 

 ^V; 1839, p. 6) ; while the latter was at least 360 feet below 

 tiie former and separated from it by the whole thickness of the 

 coal measures (see also Hubbard's GeoL Eep., 1841, pp. 132, 

 ' It now appears that while the well on the Tittabawassee was 

 located far within the salt basin, that on tbe Gr^"<i I^/^ ^r w^ 

 ^Pon the thinning out edges of the strata. The brme at the lat- 

 ^r point, as well as in Macomb and Washtenaw counties is 

 caused by a sort of exudation over the rim of this basin, and 

 aoes not rise through fissures from a deeply seated rock. 



When it became apparent that the deepes portion of he 

 gi-eat salt basin was probably beneath the neighborhood ot the 

 confluence of the Cass, Shiawassee and Tittabawassee river., a 

 ^ring was commenced at East Saginaw, which at /42 feet had 

 passed through the Coal measures, Carboniferous ^^^^'^^l^^^ 

 ^.apoleon saSdstone, and afforded a plentiful suppb of b"^^^ 

 JHQe-teuths saturated. This success was the signal for a genera. 



