Did you ever wonder if there are really Salt Mines under Detroit?

By David McClelland

We moved to Michigan in 1978 and I heard something about Salt Mines at that time, but didn't get interested in them until our son recently said that he heard there is an immense Salt Mine under Detroit. Then, I wondered about it too and did the research.

I learned that there is, in fact, a truly gigantic Salt Mine under Detroit. It is reportedly about 1,200 feet beneath the surface, spread out over more than 1,400 acres and contains more than 50 miles of roads. It lies beneath Dearborn's Rouge complex, much of Melvindale and the north end of Allen Park. The entrance to the shaft is in Detroit. The International Salt Mine Company operated the mines until 1983, when falling salt prices brought production to a halt. The Detroit Salt Company, LLC owned the mines from 1998 – 2010 and the then current market was for road salt.

In October of 2010, The Kissner Group, an Ontario-based manufacturer of de-icing products, bought the Salt Mine which still supplies salt for most of the highways in Southeast Michigan, including the Road Commission for Oakland County which has a contract to receive up to 90,000 tons of Salt at $47.28 per ton, or $4.26 million, according to Craig Bryson, the Commissions Public Information officer.

Salt has always been a precious commodity. Jesus called his disciples "the salt of the earth," a statement which is still commemorated during some Roman Catholic baptismal ceremonies when a few grains of salt are placed on the child's tongue.

The early Chinese used coins made of salt and, in Europe, many Mediterranean people used cakes of salt as currency. Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt. The word "salary" comes from "sal," the Latin word for salt.

Major salt deposits found near Syracuse, New York, provided one of the main reasons for the construction of the Erie Canal, which opened in 1825. In Michigan, a huge sea covering the region evaporated more than 400 million years ago, forming salt deposits which were gradually buried by glacial activity. This salt bed is spread over 170,000 square miles under Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Ontario, Canada. Some estimates suggest that there is enough salt in the Metro Detroit underground mine to last 70 million years.

Salt mining in Detroit began in 1896 with the sinking of a 1,100 foot shaft, but the investors went broke. Flooding and natural gas killed six men during the original construction, but there have been no deaths in the mines since. The Detroit Salt Co. acquired the mineral rights and operated the mine until 1907 when International Salt took over and drilled down 1,200 feet. Originally, the salt was used to preserve food, make ice cream and salt licks, but later it began to be used for industrial purposes and for ice and snow control for Michigan roads.

Although mine tours are not currently available, you can take a virtual tour at www.detroitsalt.com.home.htm