Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-26
OkLAHOMA's SALT PLAINS.
Hundreds of Square Miles Covered
Inches Deep With Salt.

From the Kansas City Star.
Sixteen miles from Augusta, now assum-
ing importance as q new railway terminus.
lies the smallest of the two great salt
plains of Oklahoma Its area embraces
nearly 100 square miles. 1t measures ten
miles east and west and across its center
and twelve miles north and south. The salt
deposit is from one inch to four inches deep.
Its elevation of 1929 feet above sea level is
about the average Of Woods county. No
tIUst seeks to control it, and the sun, which
shines for the poor as well as the rich,
never entirely shuts down its cooperating
plant. In the desert are saline springs, the
source of pools and lagoons where the wa
ter spreads in the suns rays and passes
away in vapor, leaving the salt deposit.
The shifting winds of centuries have blown
this salt beyond the natural boundaries IF
the pool, yet ten years shows very little en-
enactment on the tillable land around.
During hot days enc of the most active
springs deposits salt in the form of an ant
hill, from the apex of which a tiny stream
of saline water trickles down. leaving a
scanned, porous base. The action Of the
wind completes the work and a column Of
chlorate of sodium is formed, but does not
stand long, for the erosion continues and
the column soon breaks at the bottom and
falls. With true American perseverance the
little spring begins again and the process
is repeated. This curiosity has its archie
type in Holy Writ. Its soubriquet Of Lots
Wife, however. does not prove the hypoth-
esis that 1t is an exemplification of the
ancient pillar of salt. which has none of
these suggestive repeuuons. When Lot
found his wife transformed into pillar Of
salt he was wise enough to let it go at that
and not take fresh one.
Over the west county line in Woodward
county is another salt plain double the size
of the one near Augusta. Blosks of salt
cut in Woods county have been exhibited in
Augusta, and government tests show them
to be IS per cent pure and possessed of the
same properties and strength as sea salt.
This saline product Of the plains is too far
from a railroad now to be available for
commercial purposes, but previous to the
settlement of the Cherokee strip hundreds
Of fat cattle grazed on the nutritious buff
falo grass which grew close UP to the sa-
line deposits: they were never known to
stray far, and cattlemen came from a dis
lance and carted away big loads of salt for
herds grazing elsewhere.
On first sight the salt appears like lake
of shimmerfng water. The view inspires
vision of foam-crested waves ripping over
the sand In the days when Oklahoma was
known as the promised land many an
emigrant. plodding along by a jaded team
in the arid heat Of midsummer, has seen
one Of these two salt plains and shouted
for joy Expecting to hear liquid signs
from tiny waves tapping idly against wet
sand, nothing breaks the silence of the
lonesome waste save the crunch of booted
feet In the dry salt.
Last December, while crossing the edge
of one Of the saline plains. a caravan hap
pened in the path of storm. The lowering
clouds 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 of tempera-
ture. The wind blast, Jelly cold, as though
from the far north, put new life and vigor
into man and beast Dust rolled up in a
white cloud from which shrapnel. in the
hoy ne oil r1-I.in l, ~ 70
be sleet, bombarded the eyes that dared
watch the spectacle, and winnowed season.
ing, sifted, superfine salt left a smarting
in eyes and a salty taste on lips.