The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1900-06-21
. IS -
!OKLAH0MA'S. SALT PLAINS.
hundreds Of Square Miles Covered Inches
Deep With Salt.


Sixteen miles from Augusta, now as
suming Importance as new railway
terminus, lies the smallest Of the two
great SALT. plains of Oklahopa. us
area embraces nearly 100 square miles. =,
1t mNlsures ten rHies east and west
and across its centre and twelve miles
north and south. The salt deposit is
. from one inch to four inches deep.
Its elevation of 1920 feet above sea
level is about the average Of Woods
County. No trust seeks to control it,
and the sun, which shines for the poor
as we'll as the rich, never entirely shuts
down its evaporati9g plant. In the dcs-
ert are saline Springs, the source Of
pools and ( 'lagoons where the water
spreads in the suns rays and passes
Away in vapor, leaving the salt deposit.
fne 'shifting'wfnds Of centuries have
blown. this salt beyond the natural
boundaries of the pools, yet ten years
shows very little encroachment on the
tillable land afound.
: During hot days one of the most
active springs deposits salt in the form
of an ant hill. from the apex Of which
tiny stream of saline water trickles
down, leaviig a'seamed, porous base.
The action Of the wind completes the
work and a column of 'chlorate of So
dium is formed, but does aot stand
long. for the erosion continues and the
column soon breaks at the bottom and
falls With true American persever-
ance the little spring begins again and
the process is repeated. This curiosity
has its archetype in Holy Writ. Its
isobriquet of lots Wife," however,
does not prove the hypothesis that it
is an eXemplification Of the ancient
pillar of salt, which has none Of these
Suggestive. repettionS. When Lot
found his wife transformed into pill
lar of salt he was wise enough to 'let
it 90 at that and not take 4 fresh one.
Over the west county line in Wood
ward County is another salt 'blain dou-
ble the size Of the one near Augusta.
Blocks of salt cut in Woods County
have been exhibitedfin Augusta and
government tests show them to be 9S
per cent pure and possessed Of the
same properties and strength as sea
salt. This saline product Of the plains .
is too far from q railroad now to be
available for commercial purposes. but
SreviOuS to the settlement Of the Che.
,okee strip hundreds Of fat cattle grazed
on the nutritious buffalo grass which /;
grew close up to the saline deposits;
they were never known to stray far, +:
and cattlemen came from n distance
and carried away big loads of salt
for herds grazing elsewhere. e.
On the first sight the salt appears
like lake of shimmering water. The
view inspires a view of foam crested
waves ripping over the sand. In the
days when Oklahoma was known as
the promised Lands = many an emf
grant. plodding alongfb a jaded team
in the arid heat of fmitlsummer, has
seen one Of these two salt plains and
SuOuleu lOI JOY. HtpcNtihS W hcoi
liquid sighs from tiny waves tapping
idly against wet sand,'pothing breaks
the silence of the lonesome waste save
the crunch of booted feet in the dry
salt. %a,a.
Last December, while crossing .MS'
edge of one Of the saline plains, cat-$s
avan happened in the path Of storm.
The lowering clOwds Of blackness
made a grim setting for the silvery
white plain. The horses. heated from
exertion in the previous, warm air,
shivered in the sudden change in tenn
'perature. The wind blast icily cold,
as though from the far north, put
new life and vigor into man and beast.
Dust rolled up in white cloud from
which shrapnel,' in the shape Of coari
salt, (which We thought to be slee
bom6arded the. eyes That dared watch
the spectacle, and Winnowed season. 81
ing, sifted superfine salt, left a smart
ing in eyes and salty taste on lips.