Hayward in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Riches from Seawater and Sun
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 6, 2021
1. Riches from Seawater and Sun Marker
THE PILINGS IN FRONT OF YOU once held structures of the Oliver Salt Company. After the gold rush, demand for salt soared for use in ore refining, livestock raising, paper pulping, and food preservation. Many former gold-seekers, including Swedish immigrant Andrew Oliver, saw a new opportunity to prosper. They diked tidal marshland to create salt evaporation ponds and began producing salt on an industrial basis.
ANDREW OLIVER built wind-powered "Archimedes screw" pumps to move salt water between his evaporation ponds. You can see the remains of some of these wooden pumps at Pond 14 here in the Eden Landing Ecological Reserve.
THE OLIVER FAMILY prospered in the salt business. As sales increased, they increased production by buying out neighboring salt companies. In 1931 they sold the enterprise to the Leslie Salt Company, which became part of Cargill Corporation in 1978.
IN 2003 the State and Federal government acquired most of Cargill's
holdings in the South Bay. The 15,000+ acre acquisition became the
South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, one of the largest ecosystem
improvement efforts in history.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.
Location. 37° 36.842′
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area and on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Working in the Salt Ponds (within shouting distance of this marker); Snowy Plovers Find a Home (approx. Ό mile away); A Salty Experiment in Habitat Management (approx. half a mile away); Got Salt? (approx. 0.6 miles away); Wetland to Salt Pond and Back Again (approx. 0.6 miles away); Who Needs This Habitat The Most? (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Archimedes Screw Pump (approx. Ύ mile away); Bay-Friendly Rated Landscapes in the City of Hayward (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hayward.
More about this marker. The marker is located at the 2/3rds of the way out onto the observation platform at the former salt works in the Eden Landing Ecological Reserve. Distance to the marker from the trailhead parking lot to the marker is about 3/4ths of a mile along a smooth level path.
Also see . . . California Department of Fish & Game: Area History.
"The area was formerly owned and managed by Cargill Salt Co. as solar salt production facilities. In 1996, 835 acres were acquired from Cargill and(Submitted on October 1, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.)an additional 5,500 acres in 2003. In 1998, the area was designated as an ecological reserve by the Fish and Game Commission."via The Oliver Salt Company, unknown2. The Oliver Salt CompanyCompany blog homepage
Click for more information.
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 6, 2021
3. Riches from Seawater and Sun Marker - wide view
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 6, 2021
4. Riches from Seawater and Sun Marker - wider view of viewing platform, with marker on left side
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 6, 2021
5. Remains of Oliver Salt Works from viewing platform
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, September 17, 2022
6. Former Building Site With Evaporated Salt
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 6, 2021
7. Remains of Oliver Salt Works from viewing platform
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 6, 2021
8. Remains of Oliver Salt Works as seen from the fooot of the viewing platform
Credits. This page was last revised on October 6, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 411 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 7, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 2. submitted on June 8, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 7, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 6. submitted on October 1, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 7, 8. submitted on June 7, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
