The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-07-30
1ue history Of Comen,augh sat.

When, about seventy or sevcnty-hve
wears ago, Granny Deemer made dis
covery of salt water rising from the earth
into a pond on the tank Of the Conemaugh
river, about Il mile above the present site
of Salisbury, and proved the fact by eyap-
Grating the water and producing a pretty
fair sample of salt, IL new era dawued upon
the little community scattered along the
valley. That condiment, so necessary fcl
human comfort and health, which they
were wont to pack over the mountains on
horseback from Philadelphia, aud retail
at twelve cents per half pint, could now he
had for tie making. We can well imagine
the happy effect of the discovery-and It
was not lost sight of. Some years alter
this discovery, and before the construction
of the Pennsylvania CANAL YIN. Johnston
and another person, both men Of moderate
means, formed a partnership to put down
a well for the purpose of getting supply
of salt water for manufacturing purposes
The undertaking proved rather heavy ior
their limited capital, and for time the
enterprise was abandoned. After short
respite, having secured the necessary
means, they returned to the enterprise,
and by that indomitable perseverance,
which will not quail before difficulties, the
'.bitter water was !eached, and the manu-
facture of salt by evaporating from kettles
or pans was commenced in earnest. OF
the ultimate financial success growing out
of the enterprise we have no data, but Mr.
Johnston was reputed TO be pretty well on,
and lived and died i'll the homestead at the
Point, within few yards OF where the
Loyalhanua empties into the Conemaugh.
In his day he was considered very enter
prising citizen. The well put down by
this firm at that early day is now some dis
tauce out in the channel Of the COnemauS'
river, the continued washing away of The
bottom land having considerably enlarged
the channel and eCvel1ped it.
In time, rs the country became settled,
other parties put down wells and engaged
in the business, when i'll 1880 the Penusyl
vania canal was completed, a number of
salt manufacturing establishments were in
successful operation within two miles Of
the present site of the town of Salisbury.
The valley in which they were located is
wild and forbdding in it's aspect out the
wealth that was supposed to lie hid away
down in the rocks dispelled the wilderness
of the scenery, and magically metamoi-
phosed it into an elysium, and it was popu
lated with n hardy, enduring, untiring race
of people, whose perseverance knew no
bounds, and who were content with what
they got.
About the year 1911, Andrew Boggs,
father of Hon. Jackson Boggs, Judge of
the several courts of Armstrong county,
who had purchased a considerable body cf
land and located upon it at this place, laid
out aud sold the first town lots, and in n
short time town began TO rise from the
woods. From it's inception by common
consent it received the name of Salisbury,
purely from the great interest which at
that early day absorbed the attention Of
the people i'll this locality.
The discovery and manufacture Of salt
has its parallel in the discovery Of petro-
leum, and men wore moved by the same
motives to seek for the precious fluid with
the prospect of failure rising up before
them, and III some instances proving a
stern reality. The depth at which salt
water is reached in this locality is from
>five hundred to eight hundred feet, with
the rude appliances at that early day one
may well imagine the difficulties that bcset
the putting down of the first well. In 1912
tho Drnduct of salt in Indiana county In a,l
reached 10000 bushels per annum. We
doubt if the product will reach half that
quantity at the present time.-W Nc WI
({dHis.