Jackson in Jackson County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Scioto Salt Licks / The Scioto Salt Works
Side A:
The Scioto Salts Licks, located in and around Jackson, is an area where naturally occurring salt water, known as brine, flowed to the surface as a salt-water spring. It is known that the spring existed since the Pleistocene Ice Age because numerous bones, probably including those of mammoth and ground sloth, were excavated there. Native Americans obtained salt here for at least 8,000 years and did so until 1795 when the Treaty of Greenville separated the Native American and European populations. Early pioneer settlers utilized the licks in the second half of the eighteenth and first half of the nineteenth centuries, constructing salt furnaces that extended for four miles up and down Salt Lick Creek. Salt was a precious and necessary commodity, and the early settlers in the area profited from its trade.
Side B:
Joseph Conklin from Mason County, Kentucky, who came to this area in 1795, is credited with being the first American to establish a salt operation at the Scioto Salt Licks. Conklin was a squatter and did not own the land. In 1803, soon after Ohio became a state, the new legislature passed an act regulating salt works, thereby forbidding the state from selling salt lands. Therefore Conklin and others who followed leased the land for their salt operations. Salt production reached its peak between 1808-1810 with hundreds of men producing 62,000 bushels annually. Richer and more cheaply produced salt brine was discovered in what is now West Virginia. Wells sunk to reach stronger brine here proved unsuccessful. In 1826, a salt agent's legislative report stated, "The making of salt at the Scioto Salt Works has been entirely abandoned."
Erected 2006 by Jackson Historical Society, City of Jackson, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 5-40.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Industry & Commerce • Native Americans • Natural Features • Natural Resources • Political Subdivisions • Settlements & Settlers • Wars, US Indian. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1795.
Location. 39° 3.159′ N, 82° 38.254′ W. Marker is in Jackson, Ohio, in Jackson County. Marker is on Main Street (Ohio Route 93), on the left when traveling east. Marker is next to the Round House Museum on the John Wesley Powell Plaza, west of the county courthouse, between Broadway and Portsmouth Streets. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 226 E Main Street, Jackson OH 45640, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Jackson (a few steps from this marker); Commercial Apple Orchards in Jackson County / The Jackson County Apple Festival (a few steps from this marker); James A. Rhodes (within shouting distance of this marker); Jackson County Veterans Flagpole (within shouting distance of this marker); Jackson County 9-11 Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); "Lest We Forget" (within shouting distance of this marker); Jackson County Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Trails / The Kanawha Trail (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jackson.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 2,004 times since then and 123 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 23, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. 4. submitted on October 28, 2022, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. 5. submitted on January 4, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.