, 1898-11-05

on the Sweetwater river in Central
Wyoming; and for years, annually
made trips across the sage brush desert
in freight wagons, a distance of more
than 800 miles to return to Salt Lake
with sufficient soda to do their cooking
and washing for the year. These i'm
mense soda deposits have since been
used extensively by the inhabitants of
Wyoming and the adjoining states.
In the Sweetwater valley il .Natrona
county, the soda lakes have been di-
vided into three groups according to
their ownership, as follows: The
Morgan deposits. the DUPONT deposits
and the Wyoming Syndicate Improve
ment company's deposit. The Morgan
deposits are nearly pure sulphate Of
soda. The Dupont deposits are a mix
ture of carbonate ard sulphate of soda.
In this group is one lake that con-
tains practically so per cent. carbonate
Of soda. The group owned by the
Wyoming Syndicate Improvement
company is composed of carbonate and
sulphate of soda, similar to the DUPONT
group.
Taking these deposits as a whole.
the soda is found in solid formation,
and varies in thickness from a few
inches to fifteen and twenty feet, and in
surface area from a few to more than
100 acres. Mine lakes have been dis
covered in Natrona county.
"A small plant was erected a few
years ago at the properties of the Wyo-
ming Syndicate Improvement company
but at the time of it's erection. the COM
pany anticipated the construction Of
the extension of the Chicago and
Northwestern railroad from Casper,
Wyoming. up the Sweetwater valley, in
which event the road would have pass
ed the company's property. This road
was not built, and on account of the
wagon haul of sixty miles. it was found
~impracticafble to operate the plant.
A few miles northwest of Casper is
the Gill soda deposit. This is a very
large lake and is practically pure sui
phate OF soda.
Carbon county has numerous small
soda lakes, and one that is quite large.
This one is located about twenty-five
miles northwest OF Rawlins. The soda
from all the Carbon county deposits
has been found to be almost pure sui
phate.
In Albany county there are three
groups Of sulphate of soda as follows:
The Rock creek group lying about
twelve miles northwest of Rock Creek:
the Union Pacific group thirteen miles
southwest of Laramie. and the Downey
group twenty-five miles southwest Of
Laramie. These are all large lakes,
some OF them being very deep and
covering hundreds OF acres.
Perhaps the greatest curiosity among
all the soda deposits of the state is the
soda well recently drilled at Green
River. that is now furnishing water
that CONTAINS "a per cent. OF sal soda,
and this soda is more than 9S per cent.
pure. Chicago capitalists have recent
ly purchased a large tract of land
here. and are now laying plans for the
erection of a plant.
Wyoming soda has been marketed to
some extent since 1886. There was a
large plant erected at Laramie that
manufactured, for two years, carbonate
and caustic soda; but the methods en-
ployed in treating the soda were too
expensive to permit the plant running
at a profit. Since this plant shut down
a large tonnage Of this sulphate of soda
has been shipped to eastern points for
the manufacture Of glass. At present
shipments of Wyoming soda are being
made for this purpose. but, as yet, no
effort has been made to convert the raw
product into a high grade baking soda.
1t is in anticipation of this that the peo-
pie of Wyoming look forward to a new
great source Of wealth to their state.