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Industry: Detroit Salt Works
1894. December. William F. Mulkey & Son of Hutchinson Kansas began boring for salt during the past week on the Rouge river, at the crossing of Dix road. The bonus of $3,000 required for the purchase of the six acres of land that were donated to Mulkey by the property owners in the vicinity was all subscribed. A strip of land 25' wide and one and 1/6 miles in length was also donated to the Wabash railroad, to enable that road to build a double track to the site of the salt plant.
Mulkey will erect a 4-pan salt block, having a capacity of 1,000 barrels a day, about 3,000 car loads annually, and will consume eighty tons of coal daily and employ 125 to 150 men. There process will be to pump water down to the salt deposit, form a solution, pump it up again, and evaporate by boiling. Their whole product has already been contracted for.
The location of the works also involves vacating of the South Dearborn road to the extent of one mile and the construction of a new roadway to be known as Ecorse avenue. The present stationary bridge at the works will be replaced by a drawbridge, which will permit navigation on the Rouge as far as Michigan avenue. [DFP-1894-1202]
Notes
Time Line
1898. May. The Mulkey salt block at the Rouge River in Ecorse, is erecting a large dairy mill for the manufacture of table salt, a stave mill, a large packing house, two new salt pans and a warehouse 50' x 300'. After these additions are completed they will have a total of six pans, and will give employment to a large additional force of men. [DFP-1898-0519]
Bibliography
The following sources are utilized in this website. [SOURCE-YEAR-MMDD-PG]:
- [AAB| = All Aboard!, by Willis Dunbar, Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids ©1969.
- [AAN] = Alpena Argus newspaper.
- [AARQJ] = American Association of Railroads Quiz Jr. pamphlet. © 1956
- [AATHA] = Ann Arbor Railroad Technical and Historical Association newsletter "The Double A"
- [AB] = Information provided at Michigan History Conference from Andrew Bailey, Port Huron, MI