The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1908-04-02
BY w. H. Mann
su bsoil it's origin.

Some biologists suppose that the
salts which are SO abundant in the
subsoil Of our state in general is due
to the whole central plain once being
beneath the ocean and as there is a
well defined Strata about one hundred
feet below the general level of the
prairie which is seen on all Of the
creek or coulee bottoms and are
known to miners OF coal as soapstone
and to farmers as gumbo and TO
strangers as alkali spots and to ranch
ers as salt lacks, which IS in our
own opinion the correct definition for
them. AS that is essentially what they
really are and nothing more and in
stead Of being buggaboo as they
generally are to the stranger they are
really the very most valuable parts of
land we have and the man who owns
a few OF the salt beds as they really
are but were called ticks away back
in the early history of the country be-
cause the wild animals came and lick
ed up the salt and spaw water they
contained which sufficed for salt 10
them. Long ages before man began to
have dominion over the animals for
they were all before man, these salt
spots contained lime, saltpeter, alum,
and karsit known as black salts. These
when evaporated resemble crystals of
alum and are taken by those unac-
quainted with their composition for
alkali, but while the black salts may
contain some costics they are in
such proportion to the whole as to
be of a decided benefit as the large
effects and gives the stringency neces-
sary for the best rise for any animals
tsat may have to depend on them for
their portion of salt in those countries
where the salt of commerce is used
by stockmen and especially sheep we
know its bad effects in producing to
laxative condition of the bowels and
they always have to go over their
: f1ocks two or three times with the
shears before shearing time arrives
this is never done here where sheep
have access to the salt ticks so abund-
ant especially on the coulee and creek
bottom farms.
The Origin Of These Salts.
AS stated before it is our opinion that
their origin in the fact that the At
lantlc met the Attic and the entire
plain from the gulf to the Attic ocean
covered originally the whole plain and
the then bottom mud being highly i'm
pregnated with the salts Of it is what
comprises its saline ingredients the
KANT or black salts are due to val
canic ash and are the I've that backed
from them when we come to consider
that away back there which was be-
fore animals Or man there was then
a very great volcanic action going on
In the old volcanic regions of the
Rocky Mountains to the west which
are still in evidence in the national
park and nearly all the lofty cones of
the mountains were once active with
canoes and their ashes came into the
shallow sea and furnished the most of
the costic seen In the salts before
mentioned. Then as there is con-
sierable quantities of this formation
Just above the head of the valley in
tn eneighborhood of Lathbridge, AL
berta, in which the fossil saurins are
formed which is known in geology as
the cretacious age or age of mud and
shallow water in which the giant |
lizards and reptiles which were the
first animals on the ground in this
chalky, limy, ashy, salty allummous
mud hey died and were no doubt bur-
led either by themselves or by the COW
erlng of the oil ocean bottom by gla-
clal action as we Will see they be-
came fossilled and their skeletons
tell the story of their existence.
The origin of soft above the so