﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Geologist. 
  221 
  

  

  The 
  existence 
  of 
  beds 
  of 
  mineral 
  salt 
  among 
  the 
  rock 
  strata 
  of 
  

   Western 
  New 
  Yoi 
  k 
  was 
  first 
  discovered 
  in 
  a 
  test 
  well 
  put 
  down 
  

   by 
  the 
  Vacuum 
  Oil 
  Co., 
  of 
  Rochester, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  with 
  a 
  hope 
  of 
  

   obtaining 
  oil 
  or 
  gas 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  a 
  ravine 
  that 
  opens 
  into 
  the 
  

   Oatka 
  valley, 
  about 
  one 
  mile 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Wyoming, 
  

   Wyoming 
  county, 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1878, 
  at 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  1,270 
  

   feet 
  in 
  this 
  well, 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  rock 
  salt, 
  which 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  seventy 
  

   feet 
  thick, 
  was 
  found. 
  

  

  After 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  two 
  of 
  hesitation, 
  capitalists 
  began 
  to 
  sink 
  

   wells 
  everywhere 
  in 
  the 
  Oatka 
  valley 
  from 
  LeRoy 
  southward, 
  

   and 
  everywhere 
  the 
  salt 
  stratum 
  was 
  found, 
  and 
  the 
  erection 
  of 
  

   blocks 
  for 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  salt 
  by 
  evaporation 
  followed 
  rapidly. 
  

  

  In 
  i88I, 
  Mr. 
  Carl 
  Cocher 
  was 
  instrumental 
  in 
  having 
  a 
  well 
  

   drilled 
  near 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  South 
  Greigsville, 
  in 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  York, 
  

   Livingston 
  county 
  at 
  a 
  point 
  about 
  ten 
  miles 
  almost 
  directly 
  

   east 
  of 
  the 
  pioneer 
  well 
  in. 
  the 
  Oatka 
  valley. 
  It 
  is 
  one 
  -half 
  mile 
  

   west 
  of 
  the 
  Retsof 
  Salt 
  mine, 
  and 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  well 
  is 
  about 
  

   200 
  feet 
  higher 
  than 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river. 
  

  

  This 
  well 
  is 
  the 
  one 
  in 
  which 
  rock 
  salt 
  was 
  first 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   Genesee 
  valley. 
  In 
  1883 
  the 
  weils 
  of 
  the 
  Livingston 
  Salt 
  Co. 
  

   were 
  drilled 
  at 
  Piffard, 
  two 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Cocher 
  well, 
  and 
  

   the 
  fir*t 
  plant 
  for 
  producing 
  salt 
  by 
  evaporation 
  in 
  the 
  Genesee 
  

   valley 
  salt 
  district 
  was 
  put 
  in 
  operation. 
  

  

  In 
  September, 
  1884, 
  a 
  company, 
  now 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Retsof 
  Salt 
  

   Mining 
  Co., 
  began 
  the 
  sinking 
  of 
  a 
  shaft 
  eighteen 
  feet 
  long 
  and 
  

   twelve 
  feet 
  wide, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  salt 
  beds 
  were 
  reached 
  in 
  Sep- 
  

   tember 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  year 
  at 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  996 
  feet. 
  The 
  salt 
  

   was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  excellent 
  in 
  quality 
  and 
  inexhaustible 
  in 
  quantity. 
  

  

  An 
  immense 
  building, 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  in 
  use 
  in 
  the 
  coal 
  

   mining 
  regions, 
  was 
  immediately 
  built, 
  machinery 
  put 
  in, 
  and 
  the 
  

   first 
  salt 
  mine 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  put 
  into 
  operation. 
  

  

  This 
  mine 
  is 
  situated 
  on 
  ihe 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  ridge 
  of 
  land 
  

   that 
  separates 
  the 
  Genesee 
  valley 
  from 
  the 
  Oatka 
  (formerly 
  

   Allen's) 
  creek 
  or 
  Warsaw 
  valley, 
  and 
  is 
  about 
  three 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  

   the 
  Genesee 
  river, 
  which 
  finds 
  its 
  course 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   valley, 
  and 
  ten 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Livonia 
  shaft. 
  The 
  mouth 
  of 
  

   Retsof 
  shaft 
  is 
  158 
  feet 
  higher 
  than 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  In 
  lb 
  84, 
  a 
  company 
  was 
  formed 
  at 
  Lakeville, 
  in 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  

   Livonia, 
  and 
  a 
  well 
  was 
  put 
  down 
  near 
  Conesus 
  lake, 
  about 
  seven 
  

  

  