Buffalo Salt Works
Buffalo Salt Works is located on the west side of the Smoke Creek Desert, north of Salt Marsh.
In 1877, Thomas W. Symons traveled through the area: "Leaving Surprise Valley we set out going through the old outlet of the lake by the main road to Reno and separating at Clark's about 10 miles from the valley two courses were run to the Granite Mountain which was occupied as our last triangulation station October 26; A four days march from Granite Mountain brought us to Susanville passing by Wall Springs, Murphy's Salt Works, Smoke Creek, and Shafer's. Mr Murphy has built up quite an industry in the desert. On boring a few feet into the soil water is found which is a fully saturated solution of salt and which by means of a windmill he pumps into inclosed spaces of the ground and there it is evaporated and leaves the salt which is very pure and of excellent quality. From one gallon of water he gets two pounds and ten ounces of salt. He was extending his works so as to make more salt as he is at present unable to supply the demand."[1]
(Is Murphy's Salt Works the same as Buffalo Salt Works?)
Lincoln (1923) states that in 1885 the works had produced 1500 tons of salt and were producing 250 tons annually[2].
Overton (1947) reports that Buffalo Springs Salt Works was established in 1879 and that it produced 250 tons annually prior to 1896. Overton states that Director Carpenter reports that Mr. Cornell, living at Sheepshead Station knows where the Buffalo Salt Works is "close by" "[3].
References
- ↑ Thomas W. Symons, "Executive and Descriptive Report of Lieutenant Thomas W. Symonds Corp of Engineers on the operations of Party No 1 California Section Field Season of 1877," p. 113, 1878. In Alvin R. McLane "Silent Cordilleras, The Mountain Ranges of Nevada", p. 19, Reno: Camp Nevada Monograph Number 4, 1978, 118 pp.
- ↑ Francis Church Lincoln, "Mining Districts and Mineral Resources of Nevada," Verdi, Nev.: Nevada Newsletter Publishing Co., p. 236, 1923.
- ↑ Theodore D. Overton, "B046: Mineral resources of Douglas, Ormsby, and Washoe Counties," B046, Nevada Bureau of Mines & Geology, 1947. Full version with lower resolution images. Includes images of Fly Geyser, the Petrified Forest, Gerlach Hot Springs that are in the collection at UNR.
Resources
- GNIS Buffalo Springs Salt Works
- "Approx Location" 40.5935129 -119.7418662, which cites Overton.
- Description of Buffalo Springs Salt Works on page 232 of Israel Cook Russell, "Sketch of the geological history of Lake Lahontan, a Quaternary lake of northwestern Nevada," 1885
- * Granite Range (1894, Rp. 1923) (UNR) shows the Salt Works.
- Survey of minerals along the WP that discusses the Buffalo Salt Works
- The WP Survey says that Buffalo Salt Works is at Range 20E, Township 31N, Section 6, which is 40.5557077, -119.7266928, or about 2 miles south of the GNIS location.
- Image, University of Nevada Special Collections, Buffalo Salt Works [Washoe County" UNRS-P2007-01-18.
- Free, E. E., "The Topographic Features of the Desert Basins of the U. S. with Reference to the Possible Occurrence of Potash," U S. Dept. Agr. B 54 (1914) 16.
- Phalen, W. C., "Salt Resources of the U. S.," USGS B 669 (1919) 145-6.
- Russell, I. C., "Geological History of Lake Lahontan," USGS M 11 (1885) 232-3.