Salt Reservations facts for kids

First salt kettle in Ohio, seen at Marietta centennial.

The Salt Reservations were special areas of land around natural salt springs. The United States government set these lands aside in states like Ohio in the early 1800s. They were given to the states to manage for the public good.

After the American Revolutionary War in 1783, the U.S. gained new lands northwest of the Ohio River. These lands were ready for people to settle. Back then, before refrigerators, salt was super important. People needed it to preserve meat and other foods. It was also hard to find in frontier areas like the Ohio Country.

Explorers and Native Americans already knew about places where salty water came out of the ground. The government wanted to make sure no one person could buy all the land with salt springs. If one person owned all the salt, they could charge very high prices. So, the government decided to keep these salt spring lands out of public sale. This way, everyone could have access to this important resource.

How the Government Acted

In 1796, the U.S. Congress passed laws about surveying and selling public lands. One law was the Land Act of May 18, 1796. It said that land would be divided into square areas called townships. These townships were about 6 miles (9.7 km) on each side. Inside them were smaller squares, about 1-mile (1.6 km) square, called sections.

This act specifically said that any salt spring found, along with the section of land around it, would be saved. It mentioned a salt spring near the Scioto River. Later, more salt springs were found near the Muskingum River.

Another important law in 1796 created the United States Military District in eastern Ohio. During the Revolutionary War, soldiers were promised land instead of money. This act set aside land for them. It also said that any salt springs found in this district would be saved. One salt spring was later found in what is now Delaware County.

As more people moved to the Ohio territory, it was ready to become a state. On April 30, 1802, the Ohio Enabling Act was passed. This act set the borders for the new state of Ohio. It also gave the salt springs and the land around them to the state of Ohio. The state could manage these lands for its people. However, Ohio was not allowed to sell the land or lease it for more than ten years at a time.

How Ohio Managed the Lands

The state of Ohio then made laws to lease these salt lands. People could rent the land to produce salt. State agents looked after the lands. In 1803, the rent was three cents per year for each gallon of kettle space used to boil the salty water. The rent price slowly went down over time. By 1810, it was only half a cent.

The salt springs near the Scioto River were used a lot. Salt was carried on horses to towns and sold for good prices. The Muskingum salt springs were also used. However, the springs in Delaware County did not get much attention.

Where the Salt Lands Were

Scioto Salt Reservation

This salt reservation was located in what is now Jackson County, Ohio. It included many sections of land. 39°02′53″N 82°38′02″W / 39.04806°N 82.63389°W / 39.04806; -82.63389 (Scioto Salt Reservation)

By 1816, a town had grown around the Scioto salt spring. Ohio wanted to create Jackson County. They asked Congress if they could sell some of the salt land to pay for a county courthouse. Congress agreed on April 16, 1816. A section of land was sold for $7,169.00, and the town of Jackson was built there. The rest of the salt reserve was divided into smaller 80-acre (320,000 m²) plots.

Muskingum Salt Reservations

There were two salt reservations in Muskingum County, Ohio. Each was about 640-acre (2.6 km²) (one square mile). One was located here: 39°53′59″N 81°49′14″W / 39.89972°N 81.82056°W / 39.89972; -81.82056 (Muskingum Salt Reservation (east)). The other was here: 39°52′41″N 81°56′48″W / 39.87806°N 81.94667°W / 39.87806; -81.94667 (Muskingum Salt Reservation (west)).

Delaware Salt Reservation

This reservation was a large 4,000-acre (16 km²) area in Delaware County, Ohio. It was part of the United States Military District. 40°20′39″N 82°56′54″W / 40.34417°N 82.94833°W / 40.34417; -82.94833 (Delaware Salt Reservation)

Selling the Salt Lands

By 1824, people realized that salt springs were not as rare as they first thought. The worry about one person controlling all the salt went away. Ohio asked Congress if they could sell the remaining salt lands. Congress said yes on December 28, 1824. The money from these sales had to be used for "literary purposes," which meant for education. It could not be used for anything else.

Salt Lands in Other States

Other states also received grants of land around salt springs. The table below shows some of these states. They were often granted twelve sections of land around each salt spring.

The Saline Lands Act

In 1877, Congress changed how saline (salty) lands were handled. The Act of January 12, 1877, was about selling these lands. It said that any land found to be salty by government officials could be sold.

These lands would be sold at a public auction. The highest bidder would buy them for cash. The price had to be at least $1.25 per acre. This law did not apply to states that had already received salt land grants from Congress. It also did not apply if their right to choose salt lands had ended.

Images for kids

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  The Scioto Salt Reservation in Jackson county, Ohio

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  The Muskingum Salt Reservations

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  The Delaware Salt Reservation, Ohio