MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 
81 
PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE SALT INDUSTRY OF 
MICHIGAN.* 
C. W. COOK. 
The salt industry of Michigan lias had a long and varied history. 
Before the admission of Michigan into the Union, attempts were made 
to manufacture salt from the saline waters of springs, both in Macomb 
county and at Saline in Washtenaw county. The statehood act of 1836 
permitted the reservation by the state of seventy-two sections of saline 
lands and for the next twenty odd years numerous endeavors were made 
to develop 1 these salt springs. However, the efforts met with continual 
failure and the lands were finally disposed of. 
A small amount of salt was manufactured, in 1842, at Grand Rapids 
by the Hon. Lucius Lyon. 1 The price of three dollars per barrel, obtained 
at this time, enabled him to operate without loss but at no profit and 
the attempt was soon abandoned. 
The real beginning of the industry dates from 1859, when the first 
successful well was sunk at East Saginaw by the East Saginaw Salt 
Manufacturing Co. From then until the present, the growth has been 
practically continuous, until, in 1905, Michigan assumed first place in 
production, and in 1908, passed all other states in the value of the 
produce. 
This progress has been marked by the rise and fall of various districts. 
The Saginaw Valley, with the industry centered at Saginaw and Bay 
City, became the first important district. From here, the industry soon 
spread to Midland, St. Louis, and the towns along the lake shore, such 
as Oaseville, Pt. Crescent, Pt. Austin, New River, Pt. Hope, Harbor 
Beach, and White Rock on the south side of Saginaw Bay; and Tawas 
City, East Tawas, Oscoda, and An Sable to the north. 
These plants first used the kettle process. It soon gave way, how- 
ever, to the open pan and grainer. Most of the salt blocks were operated 
in connection with sawmills, the refuse (saw-dust and slabs) being used 
for fuel in the kettle and pan blocks, while exhause steam was em- 
ployed in the grainers. This undoubtedly lead to the waste of a large 
amount of lumber. As one former operator told me, “Give us plenty of 
saw dust and slabs, we don’t care for the lumber” was a common say- 
ing. 
The dependence of salt upon the lumber industry is shown by the 
disappearance of all of the lake shore plants. In fact, even some of 
the towns, such as Pt. Crescent and New River, are now but memories. 
In the Saginaw Valley itself the industry is fast disappearing, so that, 
where once there were over one hundred plants in operation, now but 
nine, including a small plant at Mt. Pleasant, remain. 
Correlative with the decline of the Saginaw Valiev industry, has 
*Published with the permission of the State Geologist. 
1 Winchell, A., “On the Saliferous Rock and Salt Springs of Mich.’' 
series, 1862, p. 309. 
11 
Am. Jour. Sc. Vol. 34, 2nd 
