Ly o n s Ne w s • Pl a i n s & Pr o g r e s s Bu s i n e s s & In d u s t r y Ja n u a r y 30, 2018 9B Lyons Salt; a century of mining in Rice County number of years. The mine shaft was installed a conveyer belt and shut Salt Company celebrated 1,000,000 sunk in Ellsworth but down 250 ft. down the old rail cars. How salt is man hours without a single time- when water broke in above, the proj- acquired has vastly changed over loss injury, a monumental feat in ect was abandoned.” The third shaft the past 100 years. In the early 20th the industry. This single undertak- at Lyons, which was 2 miles west of century traditional mining using a ing took seven years to achieve. the present Lyons shaft, was aban- pickaxe as well as blasting. These The milestone equates to one doned many years ago. The two other were the preferred methods. When shafts in Lyons were sunk in 1890 blasting, charges were placed in and the other started in 1916. “The drilled holes and fired off. Today American was started by a George although traditional mining has long Kelley in 1916, under the name of gone away, blasting is still in use the American Salt & Coal Co.” This with more sophisticated preparation. later became Lyons Salt Company. In the modern age there are A photo of some of the original inves- The Lyons Salt Company complex several preliminary steps prior to tors in the Lyons Salt plant. George blasting. The first step is commonly Kelley, on the right, established the known as undercutting. The second company. An early photo of the Lyons Salt Mine Plant. Salt is one of the most basic needs of civilization. It has many uses from single individual working more than the feeding of livestock to providing a 114 years. To celebrate the achieve- means of safe transportation on other- ment Lyons Salt Company held a wise ice covered roads and sidewalks, banquet at Celebration Centre last to food preservation and human year. They invited current and retired consumption. Since the late 1800’s employees to celebrate the achieve- salt has been mined from several ment. As they continue striving to Artists conception of American Salt improve safety, the company has set plant complex in Lyons in the 1930s. the bar even higher. Their next goal is drilling a hole two inches wide is for a million man hours worked and 16 feet deep. The tool used for without a single reportable injury. undercutting is like a big chain saw. The history of salt mining in It cuts a 6 inch high kerf 16 feet Kansas and Rice County marks deep across the width of the mining an enduring spirit of the people Early mining by pick, axe and hand area. After both of the two cuts are that have worked there and fought drilling. complete charges are placed in the for something that is basic for hu- area and miners collect the resultant man survival. It is an inspirational on East American Road has been debris. The salt that is collected is story of success, tragedy and hero- a fixture in the Lyons community used for two main purposes. The ics. In the early days men gave up for more than 100 years, the history first is for roads to keep hazardous their lives and some men braved going back to those early days in fire and severe injury to rescue and The top of the Lyons Salt shaft which 1917 when the shaft was finished. save their fellow workers. Today we was sunk in 1917 at a reported cost of celebrate their achievements with $200,000. The shaft is so substantial that a safe working environment and it has a life expectancy of 200 years. profitable production that the mine should supply for decades to come. different locations in central Kansas. An oral history recorded from a “witness” to much of the activity said, “From the very start of rock More hand labor in the early mining salt business in 1890 in Kansas it years. appears to have been a struggle for existence. At one time there were 5 ice off of America’s highways. The mine shaft showing a mule pull- The second is for live- miners operating.” Ten mine shafts ing a cart. were reported to have been sunk over stock feed. Salt is vital to In those days, horses, mules their survival and health. and wagons and the backs of men One of the great success stories in the modern age of mining at the were used to move salt out of the This photo shows salt being moved mine. Innovation began in the early Lyons Salt Company is their safety record. In the old days mining was a by rail with an electric locomotive. 1940s when the first mechanical Salt is now moved by a system of rails were installed. An article ap- very dangerous job. There are vari- conveyor belts. peared in the Lyons News in Janu- ous stories from the ary 29, 1947 marking the date when first years of the 20th century and Kansas Salt Trivia the last mules were moved out of • Salt is a mineral called Halite, NaCl earlier of cave-ins A Fire destroyed the plant in 1945. the mine. One of them had worked • Deposited 275 MM years ago during the Permian in the mine for more than12 years, and other related • Source:AncientOcean the time period through the 1930’s. and the mules had lived in the mine accidents. How- • Evaporation of 80 ft of seawater to make 1 ft of salt “Kanopolis-3, Lyons - 3, Ellsworth - since the age of four years old. ever, as the mining • 300 feet thick (700 to 1000 ft. salt layer starts) 1, Kingman - 1, Little River -1, and The article states, “The banish- technology pro- • Discovered in 1887 when drilling for Oil & Gas • 1888 – 13 Salt Operations Began, 10 in Hutchinson Hutchinson -1. The 3 mines at Ka- ing of the mules is only a minor sign gressed so has the safety of the profes- • By 1890 – There were as many as 30 Operations in KS nopolis were operated for a number of progress at the American plant.” • Today there are 6 of years, Little River operated for a In 1960 Lyons Salt Company sion. In 2017 Lyons • Cutting & Drilling • Blasting & Mucking

• Milling & Storage • Loading & Shipping