Mysterious dungeons located under the city, catacombs left over from the war years and lurking gloomy secrets, such legends are inherent in many ancient cities. Some part of them is true, and the eerie curtain only spurs the interest of researchers. But under Detroit there is indeed an abandoned salt mine, the size of which is comparable to the area of the city itself.
Natural hiding place
Where did the colossal salt deposits come from under the city? This is an interesting question that today has a reliable answer. About 400 million years ago there was a plot of land that was separated from the ocean. Today it is called the Michigan Basin. But due to the changing topography, the soil here began to sag, and salty, ocean water poured in. Later, its waters receded, and the artificial lake dried up, leaving huge salt deposits.
After that, for hundreds of years, the Niagara escarpment was formed, which was a basalt rock. He buried the salt mine. In 1895, excavations led a man into this natural treasury. But the first attempt to build a mine was unsuccessful, mining was too expensive.
City underground
In 1910, the development company completed the construction of the shaft and began work on the second salt layer. After its development, it was possible to significantly increase the productivity and purity of the extracted product. By 1914, it was possible to produce about 8, 000 tons of rock salt every month.
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Underground mines gradually grew and began to resemble a real city. In 1922, a second shaft was built, which increased the capacity of the mine. Now even more people were hired, they used the best equipment.
Hard work of miners
Despite the fact that it was necessary to mine salt, not coal, it did not get any easier from this. Even in modern conditions, underground mining is hard work. Equipment was sometimes impossible to lift to the surface due to narrow openings, and it has remained there until now. But the mine was clean and rodents were not found. There are also no cockroaches and the remains of other living things.
The last stage in history
Until 1983, salt mines continued to function properly. After that, they ceased to be a profitable business. Until 1997, it remained completely abandoned. A huge city, quiet and dark, keeping its history. In the early 2000s, the mine was once again bought by a new owner. Today, salt is no longer of such value as in the old days, when it was used along with gold to pay for goods and services. Therefore, road salt is mainly extracted, which is strewed on the streets.
