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Tales Of An Osawatomie Salt Miner
History and Heritage
Grady Atwater
William Chestnut started the Osawatomie Salt Works in 1859, the first commercial salt works in Kansas.
Chestnut was drilling a well to find a clean water supply for the town, and when his drill reached 122 feet, the auger sank six inches. When the auger was withdrawn from the bore hole, it was packed with salt, and Chestnut immediately saw an economic opportunity.
Chestnut abandoned his quest for a clean water supply for the town and began selling shares in the Osawatomie Salt Company. Osawatomie’s enterprising citizens bought shares at $25 each for a total of $50,000.
Chestnut built his salt evaporation works south of Sixth Street and Brown Avenue, and Osawatomie became the salt capital of Kansas.
The Osawatomie Salt Company drilled more wells to find the briny gold. The company drilled five wells, all to different depths.
Drilling was difficult for the bit had to cut through 22 feet of soil and clay; 9 feet of soapstone; 18 feet of limestone, clay, brine and soil; 7 feet of white limestone; and 170 feet of soapstone, shale and sandstone. All of this with 19th century technology, which illustrates the determination that Chestnut and his Osawatomie cohorts had to build up the town’s economy.
The salt works soon began producing seven bushels of salt per day. The salt was evaporated in 17 30-gallon kettles, and it took the evaporation of 150 gallons of brine to produce one bushel of salt. The salt from the Osawatomie Salt Works was unusual in that it normally took 350 to 400 gallons of brine to produce a bushel of salt in a normal salt works.
The Osawatomie Salt Company continued to produce salt until 1889, when salt deposits were discovered at Hutchinson. It more plentiful at Hutchinson, and it was also less expensive to extract, and Osawatomie’s salt production ceased.
William Chestnut’s positive influence on the town continued through his sons.
John and William Jr operated a freight line between Osawatomie and Westport, Mo., until the start of the Civil War. John also started a real estate venture named The Osawatomie Improvement Company that helped to build the town. His company built many homes in Osawatomie, and several of the buildings that John built still stand in downtown Osawatomie.
William Chestnut and his family helped to build up Osawatomie from a clearing between Pottawatomie Creek and the Marais des Cygnes River to the community that we have today. The Chestnuts’ vision is inspiring, for when others saw a wilderness, they saw the potential for a thriving community.
— Grady Atwater is site administrator at the John Brown Museum State Historic Site.
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William Chestnut started the Osawatomie Salt Works in 1859, the first commercial salt works in Kansas.
Chestnut was drilling a well to find a clean water supply for the town, and when his drill reached 122 feet, the auger sank six inches. When the auger was withdrawn from the bore hole, it was packed with salt, and Chestnut immediately saw an economic opportunity.
Chestnut abandoned his quest for a clean water supply for the town and began selling shares in the Osawatomie Salt Company. Osawatomie’s enterprising citizens bought shares at $25 each for a total of $50,000.
Chestnut built his salt evaporation works south of Sixth Street and Brown Avenue, and Osawatomie became the salt capital of Kansas.
The Osawatomie Salt Company drilled more wells to find the briny gold. The company drilled five wells, all to different depths.
Drilling was difficult for the bit had to cut through 22 feet of soil and clay; 9 feet of soapstone; 18 feet of limestone, clay, brine and soil; 7 feet of white limestone; and 170 feet of soapstone, shale and sandstone. All of this with 19th century technology, which illustrates the determination that Chestnut and his Osawatomie cohorts had to build up the town’s economy.
The salt works soon began producing seven bushels of salt per day. The salt was evaporated in 17 30-gallon kettles, and it took the evaporation of 150 gallons of brine to produce one bushel of salt. The salt from the Osawatomie Salt Works was unusual in that it normally took 350 to 400 gallons of brine to produce a bushel of salt in a normal salt works.
The Osawatomie Salt Company continued to produce salt until 1889, when salt deposits were discovered at Hutchinson. It more plentiful at Hutchinson, and it was also less expensive to extract, and Osawatomie’s salt production ceased.
William Chestnut’s positive influence on the town continued through his sons.
John and William Jr operated a freight line between Osawatomie and Westport, Mo., until the start of the Civil War. John also started a real estate venture named The Osawatomie Improvement Company that helped to build the town. His company built many homes in Osawatomie, and several of the buildings that John built still stand in downtown Osawatomie.
William Chestnut and his family helped to build up Osawatomie from a clearing between Pottawatomie Creek and the Marais des Cygnes River to the community that we have today. The Chestnuts’ vision is inspiring, for when others saw a wilderness, they saw the potential for a thriving community.
— Grady Atwater is site administrator at the John Brown Museum State Historic Site.