Detroit's salt mine: City beneath the city

Men work in the salt mine underneath Detroit in this undated photo. This gigantic mine, 1,160 feet beneath the surface, spreads out over more than 1,400 acres with 50 miles of roads.

salt mines under detroit tours

Detroit Salt Mine: The hidden gem beneath our city.

By: metro detroit chevy dealers | october 8, 2012.

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I’ve always been fascinated with salt. Laugh away, but it has an incredible history! Civilizations expanded and progressed in the quest for this amazing spice. Opposing militaries used it as a weapon of war, salting the fields to spoil land for crops. In ancient China, they used salt as currency. There isn’t a point in time when salt wasn’t important.

This is why it’s so exciting to me that Detroit has a massive working salt mine that stretches 1,500 acres from Dearborn to Allen Park . The mine shaft itself is 1,160 feet straight down and there are more than 100 miles of roads connecting the different areas of the mines. It’s an entire city beneath a city!

Rock salt was discovered in Detroit in 1895, but it wasn’t until 1906 that the Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company began the arduous task of digging a shaft to create a mine. Despite many challenges, a bankruptcy and business reorganization, the shaft was completed by the newly named Detroit Salt Company.

In 1912, under the name Detroit Rock Salt Company, crews began work on a second salt bed. The new operation improved productivity and rock salt purity, which caught the eye of the International Salt Company who acquired Detroit Rock Salt in order to keep their edge on the marketplace. By 1914, crews began to utilize “modern” technology in the form of electric power, mechanical shovels and electric trains to help keep up with production needs, to the point that it was producing up to 8,000 tons of rock salt each month.

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With the demand for salt steadily increasing, the company recognized a need for a larger, second shaft and began to dig in 1922. By 1925, crews had completed the work and began using it to haul more rock salt to the surface. Crews continued to mine the rock salt until 1983 when production costs began to exceed salt prices, and International Salt halted operations. In 1997, Detroit Salt Company purchased the mine and began production again, which continues to this day.

And while it’s awesome to think that this mine has been operating virtually non-stop for the past 100 years, without fatalities or a collapse, there are other facts about the mine that are even more mind-blowing!

For as large as the mine is, you can imagine that the equipment needed to blast the salt and haul it around needs to be just as large. And getting it down those narrow shafts isn’t an easy feat. Typically, the equipment like trucks, machinery and jeeps, are disassembled, lowered down piece by piece and reassembled in the mine’s shop area. Then, once down in the mine, it stays there.

Another interesting fact is that if the mine shaft were a building, it would be second only to the Empire State Building which is 1260 feet tall, compared to the shaft’s “measly” 1160 feet. And, thanks to the depth, the temperature stays about 60 degrees year round. Perfect weather, if you can get over the fact there’s no sun.

But the greatest thing I find about the salt mine is the fact that you’d never know how big the mine is or how much goes on under our feet on a daily basis just by looking at the entrance to the mine. It’s sort of a metaphor for Detroit, isn’t it? There’s more to us going on than you think. Don’t take our city at face value. Sometimes you gotta dig a little deeper to get to the stuff that matters. And in this case, it’s salt.

To see some really great images, The Detroit News has an incredible archive of images from the mines first days, as does Environmental Graffiti.

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Morning 4: A look inside the epic salt mines below the streets of Detroit -- and more top stories

Here are the top stories for the morning of june 16, 2022.

Cassidy Johncox , Senior News Editor

Morning 4 is a quick roundup of stories we think you should know about to start your day. So, let’s get to the news.

The secret city beneath our feet: Inside Detroit’s epic salt mines

If the residents of Detroit ever tried to dig a hole to China like I did when I was a kid, you probably wouldn’t have made it to China, but you might have eventually reached the secret salty city below the streets of Detroit.

ClickOnDetroit readers frequently submit questions about the salt mines through our 4YI form, so we decided to take a deep dive into the epic salt mines below our feet.

Read the report here.

3 arrested after shooting at Stony Creek Metropark

A nice getaway on a hot day is to the beach, but that was interrupted by gunshots Wednesday night at Stony Creek Metropark.

Officials say that three people are in custody after shots were fired amid a believed altercation.

See the report here.

Fed’s aggressive rate hikes raise likelihood of a recession

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has pledged to do whatever it takes to curb inflation, now raging at a four-decade high and defying the Fed’s efforts so far to tame it.

Increasingly, it seems, doing so might require the one painful thing the Fed has sought to avoid: A recession.

A worse-than-expected inflation report for May — consumer prices rocketed up 8.6% from a year earlier, the biggest jump since 1981 — helped spur the Fed to raise its benchmark interest rate by three-quarters of a point Wednesday.

Learn more here.

Unintended safety hazard along Gratiot Avenue in Roseville: Here’s what we know

An unintended safety hazard along Gratiot Avenue in Roseville has caused a lot of concern for members who live in that area.

Many say the work was long overdue. However, construction at Gratiot Avenue and Utica Road in Roseville has created an unintended safety hazard.

Weather: Storms pushing through Metro Detroit with more heat on tap for Thursday

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Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.

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More controversy surrounds northville downs' plans to relocate to plymouth township, local 4 news at 6 -- feb. 28, 2024, tornado hit without warning for some in grand blanc area, ef-2 tornado confirmed in genesee county.

Detroit's abandoned tunnel systems open door to another world

Below Detroit's streets is a network of tunnel systems almost as elaborate as the bustling metropolis that sits above it.

Unveiling this underworld opens a cavern of secrets necessary to understanding Detroit's history. While most of the tunnels are now abandoned and closed off to the public, learning about these labyrinths can contextualize the city's importance on the national level.

From the salt mines used to launch the city into economic prosperity at the start of the 20th century to the remnants of hidden caverns used to store liquor during America's Prohibition, explore what lies below:

Pedestrian walkways

Around 100 years ago, the popularity of automobiles resulted in a historic spike in pedestrian deaths . Detroit’s Highland Park neighborhood, which housed close to 50,000 residents in the early 1920s, reported a historic spike in pedestrian fatalities in 1924.

The solution was to build an underground tunnel to direct all pedestrian traffic, similar to the style of underground walkways seen in London and Canada. Three more tunnels were built at the Highland Park intersection in 1925, including one in Midtown at Cass Avenue and Peterboro Street, though no physical remnants of the latter site remain today.

Documented by TikTok user @Colin313 in July 2022, Highland Park’s raised cement underpass can be seen at the corner of Cortland and Second Avenue.

Rock salt was discovered below the depths of Michigan’s streets in 1895, and almost immediately, the horizontal salt beds were mined for the resource’s rich currency.

By 1906, Detroit established the Detroit Rock Salt Co. to develop a safe, effective way to mine the salt. It took years of configuration before a 1,060-foot shaft was dug into the city’s core and by 1914, Detroit was exporting 8,000 tons of rock salt each month. 

The mines remained operational until 1984 and reopened after a brief hiatus in 1983 to provide the road salt used by the city today. Road salt is the only form of salt currently produced by the mines, and tours were provided briefly in the mid-1980s but are now suspended because of ongoing production.

More: A look inside Wayne County's salt distribution process each winter

Tunnels at Detroit's Fisher Building

Detroit’s Fisher Building was constructed in 1927 by the Fisher brothers, whose Fisher Body Co. was responsible for the closed-body chassis of the 1910 Cadillac and introducing the first four-door sedan bodies. 

This immense success in reimagining the automobile industry motivated the brothers to purchase 32 parcels along West Grand Boulevard to “serve as an expressive testimonial of the Fishers’ activity in Detroit.” 

The art deco, 441-foot building is flanked by two 11-story, flat-roofed wings and is topped with a glowing green spear. 

Below ground, an elaborate tunnel system connected the Fisher to New Center and General Motors buildings to ease employee commute.

The tunnels are open today, though all of the once bustling storefronts are now shuttered.

More: 10 fascinating facts about Detroit's Fisher Building

Detroit Medical Center tunnels

Adjacent to Wayne State University’s campus in Midtown, the Detroit Medical Center holds eight hospitals in a one-block area surrounded by John R, Mack, St. Antoine and East Canfield Street. A tunnel system connects each of the hospitals making safe, seamless travel for patients and medical employees alike. 

Prohibition-era tunnels

A little over 100 years ago, Detroit stood as the first major U.S. city to instate Prohibition , a complete criminalization of alcohol and those who distribute and consume it, which lasted more than a decade before being repealed in 1933. 

Almost as quickly as the law was enacted, underground smuggling and speakeasies began to appear, with some experts estimating Detroit’s river crossing to Canada was responsible for 75% of alcohol flowing into the U.S. during Prohibition.

Tommy’s Bar on Third Avenue was formerly owned by businessmen affiliated with the city’s notorious Purple Gang, and a WSU-sponsored archaeological dig in 2013 unearthed an underground speakeasy and tunneling system leading to a false room below the bar.

Utility tunnels

Installed in the early 1950s, utility tunnels below Detroit’s Midtown and downtown streets carry the water and steam necessary to fuel the area.

A network of steam tunnels and pipes dates to 1903 and is used to heat buildings throughout the city today. Reaching 60 feet below the street surface and opening into a 10-foot by 10-foot well, the tunnels stretch for miles .

The steam loops ran on coal until converting into natural gas in the 1970s, and Detroit’s incinerator became its main source by 1986. 

The steam is also used to cook hot dogs at Lafayette Coney Island and brew beer at Detroit Beer Co.

Beyond the city ...

Detroit metropolitan airport's light tunnel.

A tunnel of psychedelic lights connects Detroit Metropolitan Airport’s A and B/C Councourses to an original soundtrack.

Located in McNamara Terminal, the Light Tunnel is nearly 800 feet long and illuminated by 9,000 feet of glass panels and LED lighting — as a moving walkway carries passengers through the tunnel.

For those with light or noise sensitivity, a “suspend button” at the end of each tunnel pauses the light and music show for 15 minutes.

Northland Center’s underground tunnels

Below the halls of the former Northland Center in Southfield is a miles-long labyrinth of tunnels , with an astonishing 484 rooms, dating to 1954. The tunnels were used primarily for truck deliveries to and from Northland’s stores and also included storage space and nuclear bomb shelters.

The unique system of service tunnels set a precedent for surrounding shopping centers, although they were off-limits to the public and remained closed and unpassable after the mall's closure in 2015. The tunnels were likely buried during the mall’s demolition in 2021, leaving behind a treasure trove of arcade games and mannequin torsos. 

The Secret City 1200 Feet Under Detroit

salt mines under detroit tours

Most of the Americans would unconsciously synonymize Detroit with the progress in automotive industry, however very few are aware of the other industry of the City, which effectively gave Detroit a significant place on modern map. There is practically a whole city of Salt mines some 200 feet under the hustle and bustle of modern Detroit.

Economics of the antiquity was less complex a matter for the people who lived then, unlike today when most of the humanity is insanely unaware of the mechanics of World’s economy. Everyone is aware of the Barter system used in the ancient times and that how effective it was for people from different parts of the world. Before the advent of money (talking about coins at this stage) exchanging goods with goods was the economy of the civilization; by civilization here I mean mankind. Countries and kingdoms traded with whatever they had in abundance, Salt (white and black) was one of the most traded goods in the antiquity.

In the late n19th century when United States was practically going through a very visible transformation in terms of industries and progress, Salt was discovered under Detroit that changed the dynamics of the city forever. Experts suggest that Michigan, Detroit was literally underwater a long time ago, and when water receded it left behind an almost never-ending supply of sea salt. Over the years following the recession of water from today’s Michigan area, trillions of tons of salt deposits were preserved over a thousand mile under Detroit.

The year was 1895, a discovery by experts brought the emergence of Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company. Immediately the digging commenced and tons of salt started pouring out of the mines and with it Detroit came to the spot light. In 1914, Watkins Salt Company solely bought out Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company. Shortly after taking over, Watkins was producing about 8,000 tons of salt every month. The salt mining was not an easy job for the laborers, as many lost their lives during the digging and other mining related tasks. Things could have been worse for the workers, but other than the odd mining incidents there were no other issues such as rodents or diseased creatures that could harm the worker’s health. ( The Viral Era )

Watkins was bought out by the International Salt Company, which increased production further. Better technology further increased production.

With the establishment of better technology the production of salt from Detroit’s salt mines boomed in leaps and bounds. Watkins Salt Company was later taken over by even bigger organization named International Salt Company, which further enhanced the production bringing more prosperity for Detroit. With the price of salt dramatically touching the lowest of the bars, the production from the salt mines significantly decreased and in 1983 a major chunk of the salt production operations was simply closed down.

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Detroit Salt Mines

Introduction.

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Detroit Salt Mine Formation

Detroit Salt Mine Formation

The shafts leading into the mines. Reuther Library/Tony Spina

The shafts leading into the mines. Reuther Library/Tony Spina

Large salt rocks within the mine

Large salt rocks within the mine

Mine employees

Mine employees

Backstory and Context

Creation of salt underneath the city of detroit.

The salt deposits underneath Detroit, spreading from north of Allen Park, underneath Dearborn’s Rouge, and covering most of Melvindale, were formed nearly 400 million years ago during the Devonian Period. It was a time when the first fish were evolving to grow legs to make their way onto land; the first seed bearing plants were coming into existence. Also, the area known as the Michigan Basin was separated from the ocean, and it was sinking lower and lower into the Earth’s crust. Salt water poured into the Basin, gradually over many years, until the oceans receded. The saltwater soon evaporated, leaving behind huge salt deposits. 

Glacial activity led to the formation of the Niagara Escarpment, a large basalt rock area covering most of Wisconsin and Michigan, burying the salt deposits. The Great Lakes sit atop the basalt rock, and below, nearly 1,200 feet, the salt deposits remain as the largest known salt deposit in the world with over an estimated 71 trillion tons of unmined salt. 1  

History of Salt Mining in Detroit

Native American tribes were historically known to filter and gather salt in the Detroit area from the various salt springs, but the first official discovery of the enormous salt deposits is credited to the year 1895. Despite the discovery, however, the salt deposits were over a thousand feet beneath stone and glacial drift, and getting to the salt turned out to be a deadly endeavor, with six men dying during the dig. The Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company, the first to try and capitalize on the deposits, went bankrupt in the process. 

By 1910, after the construction of a 1,060-foot shaft, extraction of the salt finally began. Objects lowered into the mines were destined to stay there forever, including the mules used to carry the extract salt. Four years later, under ownership of the International Salt Company, the Detroit mine was producing nearly 8,000 tons a month, and with the help of electric locomotives, mechanical shovels, and electric power, productivity was booming. 

Then in 1922, to meet growing demand, International Salt dug a second shaft to accommodate greater manpower and machinery, and most of the machinery used at that time is still in the mines today. Salt mining continued until 1983, when International Salt closed the mines. In 1997, Detroit Salt Company LLC bought the mines and began mining once again for the road salt industry.

Today, the Kissner Group owns the mines, which now span over 1,500 acres with 100 miles of tunnels beneath Detroit, and the mine is considered to be the safest, most efficient in the world. 2

Additional Information

  • Detroit Salt Co. Official Website
  • "The vast, abandoned salt mines that lurk beneath Detroit," published by i09
  • Time Magazine article on the mines

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  • All Michigan

Detroit's salt mines are Michigan's biggest buried secret

salt mines under detroit tours

The Detroit Salt Company (MLive photo | Ben Solis)

By John Serba | [email protected]

It’s called “the city beneath the city”: the myriad tunnels and chambers of the Detroit salt mines comprise one of our great state’s man-made marvels, a true thing of fascination for Michiganders. Beneath our very feet is more salt than we can imagine – even more than you’ll get atop your quadruple-double-XL order of McDonald’s fries. Way more.

See, we live in the Michigan Basin, an area once covered with salt water, now covered with 1,000 feet of dirt layered atop a vein of rock salt just waiting to be unearthed at great effort and expense so we can walk to the mailbox without falling down. Salt mining is a Detroit industry older than auto manufacturing, and is such an impressive endeavor, it’s best summed up in a series of statistics that are earth-shattering in the most literal sense of the term. Here are the Detroit salt mines, by the (really, really big) numbers.

salt mines under detroit tours

The U.S. salt bed map (Courtesy photo | U.S. Dept. of Energy)

400 million

Age of the salt deposit, in years. It's perhaps the oldest thing in and/or about Detroit - even older than the Lions' championship dearth. Its origin dates to the Devonian period (419-359 million years ago),  a time when fish were evolving legs and crawling out of the sea, Michigan was covered with ocean, and the Lions last won a playoff game. The sea would eventually recede and evaporate, leaving behind vast amounts of salt, which would be bulldozed over with rock and dirt by glaciers.

Years that have passed since the salt was discovered. Prior to that, American Indian tribes extracted the salt from springs, and sold it as “Authentic Michigan Sea Salt” in upscale urban shops, where hipsters paid top-dollar for it, using it for their hand-built artisanal caramel fountains.

Length, in feet, of the original mineshaft. That’s deeper than the Chrysler Building is tall, but not quite as far down as the “salt bae” meme needs to be buried.

Number of workers who died digging the shaf t. The Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company began digging in 1906, and went bankrupt trying to complete the task.

salt mines under detroit tours

Mackinac Bridge (MLive file photo)

Year the shaft was finally completed, by the Detroit Salt Company. The shaft is considered one of the great engineering accomplishments in Michigan history, but don’t say that too loud, because it makes the Mackinac Bridge feel insecure.

Size, in feet, of the opening to the shaft at the time . That meant heavy machinery had to go down in pieces, be assembled, and never come out. Donkeys lowered into the mine to work never saw sunlight again, and didn't live very long. "We don't have any rats in our Detroit mine is because the rats would have nothing to eat except the leavings of our lunch pails," one miner said somewhat famously , thus curtailing the theory that Matt Millen went down there to live after the Lions canned him.

Year digging of a second shaft began. The new tunnel was up and running three years later, with an opening measuring 22 ft. wide .

Amount, in tons, of salt yielded from a single dynamite blast . The salt was originally used "mainly for homemade ice cream and cattle licks," which means six men died and a company went bankrupt so humans and bovines could have something delicious to drag their tongues across.

Years the salt mine was abandoned, from 1983-1998. The economy of salt mining dried up like a 400 million-year-old ocean, prompting the company at the time, International Salt, to say, “Na.” Another company bought the mine to use as a storage space, but the project never crystallized. When it all shook out, the Detroit Salt Co. purchased the mine in 1997 and started business up again.

71 trillion

Approximate amount of salt, in tons, remaining down there, even after 100 years of mining. Detroit Salt produces 1.7 million tons of salt annually, and will increase to 2.5 million tons if a proposed expansion is approved . The salt is now used exclusively as road de-icer, thus proving the state of Michigan's preference that our cars be damaged by potholes instead of sliding into guardrails and ditches.

Acreage of the vast network of underground tunnels. Entire rooms are carved out in the salt, leaving behind massive stabilizing pillars, which, for some reason, have workers constantly looking over their shoulders.

salt mines under detroit tours

MLive file photo | Rachel Sonnenshine

Miles of roads in the tunnels, which stretch from Dearborn to Allen Park. Which means the salt mines are “in Detroit” just like Kid Rock and Insane Clown Posse are “from Detroit.”

Tours of the mine currently being offered. Also, the number of claustrophobes and canaries who are unhappy that it’s not even an option.

salt mines under detroit tours

MLive file photo

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CuriosiD: Are There Salt Mines Under Detroit?

Yes, but other than miners, few people have ever seen the inside of them.

salt mines under detroit tours

Local governments use rock salt in the winter to melt ice on the roads. You knew that already. What you might not know is that some of that salt comes from beneath the roads themselves.

Detroit and much of the Great Lakes region sit on top of a prehistoric salt deposit, the remains of an ancient sea.

How did it get there?

salt mines under detroit tours

The salt formed about  400 million years ago , when a shallow basin covered what is now Michigan.  Wayne State University  geology professor  Sarah Brownlee  says the basin was similar to the body of water we know as the  Red Sea .

“It’s a shallow sea that’s somewhat connected, but mostly disconnected from the ocean,” Brownlee says. “So when the sea water spills into the basin, it eventually evaporates away, leaving behind the salts that are dissolved in the water.”

Over time, layers of earth built up over the salt, which now lies about 1,100 feet below the surface. It lay undisturbed until the early 20th century, when a mining company first attempted to build a shaft in southwest Detroit. Since 1910, several companies have owned and operated the mine. A Canadian company, the Kissner Group , bought it in 2010, and does business as Detroit Salt Company .

A city beneath the city

salt mines under detroit tours

Though few people besides miners have actually seen the inside of the mine, photographs reveal a network of roads, or causeways, some as wide as the thoroughfares on the surface above. These roads run underneath parts of Detroit, Melvindale, and Allen Park , transporting workers and machinery throughout the mine. One may wonder how all that heavy equipment gets down there. “Piece by piece,” says George Davis , who manages public affairs and public safety for Detroit Salt Co.

salt mines under detroit tours

“We take them apart and bring them down in what’s called a ‘skip’, what people normally see as an elevator, and then reassemble it down there at the bottom,” Davis says.

It’s a one-way trip. Davis says once the machines are put back together, they stay inside the mine, extracting and processing salt.

“We use a machine called a continuous miner, which is an augur that grinds against the wall of salt,” Davis says. “It’s thrown back and brought by conveyor belts to a crushing and screening place, where we break it down to the right small size, bring it back up, and ship it to road commissions for winter de-icing.”

You’re driving on it

Road salt is Detroit Salt Co.’s primary product. Two of its main customers are Wayne County and the City of Detroit . Mayoral spokesman John Roach says for the winter of 2016-17 , the company sold 9,000 tons of salt to the city, with a commitment to deliver another 16,000 tons when the next winter starts. Wayne County’s Department of Public Works Roads Division purchased more than 44,000 tons of Detroit salt. It also bought more than 20,000 tons from the company’s main competitors, Compass Minerals and Morton Salt , which have mines in Ontario . Morton runs two salt mines in Windsor and has an office in Detroit, where it once stored salt on a slab next to the Rouge River . The slab is empty, however, and the property appears to be unoccupied (a Morton spokesperson did not return WDET’s calls for this report). Compass Minerals was the primary salt vendor for Oakland and Macomb counties this past winter.

salt mines under detroit tours

Salt is a competitive industry

The road commissions’ need for salt varies each winter, depending on how much snow and ice fall. If the weather is good, business tends to be bad. The Detroit salt mine ran continuously for 73 years until 1983 . Stiff competition, mild weather, and difficult economic conditions forced the mine’s owner at the time, International Salt Co. , to cease mining operations. The company sold the property to Crystal Mines in 1985. For the next several years, there were discussions about turning the mine into a storage facility for hazardous waste. Those plans never materialized, and in 1997, the mine changed hands again when Crystal Mines sold it to the Detroit Salt Company. Mining resumed in 1998, and Kissner Group took over in 2010.

Is it safe?

Mining of any kind is generally risky, but the Detroit Salt Company’s George Davis says worker safety is paramount.

“We train our mining crews and focus them on the idea that we all want to go home at the end of the night. We continuously train,” Davis says.

Those efforts appear to be effective. According to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration , there have been three injuries reported by Detroit Salt Co. since 2006, the most recent occurring in 2015. This has given the company one of the lowest incidence rates among all mines of its kind. The last known fatality at the mine happened in 1983, when a worker fell down the shaft.

salt mines under detroit tours

George Davis says training is critical, but a little divine intervention doesn’t hurt, either. A statue of St. Barbara, the patron saint of miners , watches over the crews as they come and go. Davis says the company believes salt is a resource that comes from the Lord.

“He provides it for our daily use and benefit,” Davis says. “We want to encourage the faith of our workers and their families so they’re safe and secure.”

salt mines under detroit tours

The company uses a method of mining called “room and pillar”, in which machines alternately dig out one column of salt, leaving another behind, and so on. Davis says this supports the roof of the mine, and requires no blasting. 

A look inside

salt mines under detroit tours

The International Salt Co. offered public tours in 1983 as a way to make money while the mine was inactive. These stopped in 1985 when the company sold the mine. George Davis says Detroit Salt Co. doesn’t offer public tours today, because it would interrupt production. The company does maintain a web site with information about the mine and its history. Davis also speaks to schools and community groups. He says one question comes up often.

“Can we eat the salt?” 

The short answer is no, although there’s no difference between the chemical composition of rock salt and table salt. Wayne State University geologist Dave Lowrie says the salt beneath Detroit is “remarkably pure.”

Lowrie says he has been inside the mine and has brought back samples to use in his classes and labs. 

“It’s very clean, very dry, it’s kind of fun,” Lowrie says. “You take a flashlight, hold it against the wall, and you can see light disappearing into this nice, clear salt.”

salt mines under detroit tours

Music of the mines

While the mine is not open to the public, one can use their minds to imagine what it looks like.

salt mines under detroit tours

Such a vision inspired Ann Arbor composer Paul Dooley to write “Salt of the Earth” for the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings in 2012. Dooley, who teaches at the University of Michigan , says the inspiration came from stories his grandmother told him about the salt mines, and from pictures taken by award-winning photographer Tony Spina .

“I used one of (Spina’s) photos for the cover, this great photo of a man standing on a bridge overlooking a long cave, and there’s a conveyor belt of salt running through the cave,” Dooley says.

MORE: Salt Mines Inspire Local Composer

That picture, and many others, are part of the digital collection at Wayne State’s Walter P. Reuther Library .

Detroit Salt Co. does not share details of its business publicly, but some information about the company is public. It has applied for a permit from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to increase its rock salt production rate limit from 1.7 million tons of salt per year to 2.5 million , and to install and operate a bagging system for rock salt. MDEQ says it will review all public comments before granting or rejecting the permit.

MDEQ Project Summary, Detroit Salt Co. Permit by WDET 101.9 FM on Scribd

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The Incredible Urban Salt Mines Hiding Underneath Our Feet

Road salt is one of those city services that we take for granted, an invisible network infrastructure with a murky provenance. But though you may not know it, the salt on your roads might come from a sprawling, century-old mine right below your feet.

As the country (excepting those jerks in California ) slogs through a long winter, dozens of cities are warning that they're scraping the bottom of their salt barrels . The companies that delivery road salt—like Morton and Cargill—blame demand (obviously) and slow transport times.

Road salt in storage at the public works facility in Glen Ellyn, Ill. AP Photo/Andrew A. Nelles.

But where do they get their salt? The answer might surprise you. Though plenty of the stuff comes from far-off locales like Chile's great salt flats, a lot of it is still mined on this continent. After all, it was the rise of suburbia in America—and the millions of roads that were built to serve it—that drove the expansion of a lucrative road salt market in the 1940s and 50s.

Morton, for example, maintains dozens of sites across North America. Your salt might come from a mine in Ohio or Quebec, or a solar evaporation site—where it's crystalized by the sun in open pools—in Florida or New Jersey. Cargill maintains three mines in the US, including one 1,800 feet below Cleveland, as well as bedded deposits in New York.

A salt storage yard in Cleveland. AP Photo/Mark Duncan.

Miners prepare cutting equipment in the mine at American Rock Salt in Hampton Corners, N.Y. AP Photo/David Duprey.

Some American mines still operate independently. The most famous of all is the Detroit Salt Mine , a 114-year-old mine that takes advantage of a gigantic salt deposit below the city (fun fact: it predates the dinosaurs). More than 1,200 feet beneath the Motor City's roads lies a massive mine where salt has been culled from more than 100 miles of tunnels.

When the mine first opened, it was a dangerous place to work—according to one account , machinery had to be cut into pieces and lowered down through the 36 square foot mine shaft to the mine itself, where it was reassembled.

Even mules were lowered down by rope—to remain underground until they died.

Wayne State/Reuther Library .

Things are a little more efficient today.

According to Atlas Obscura , the miners drill holes into the salt and pack them with explosives, which "yields 900 tons of salt in less than three seconds." Then, the crushed salt is moved onto a conveyor belt to the shaft, to be lifted out and processed.

Images via Wayne State University .

But Detroit Salt Company's business isn't quite what it used to be. A traditional mine isn't nearly as efficient as, say, Morton's tightly controlled evaporation pools. Or nearby mines in Ohio and Canada, which ship their road salt through the Great Lakes.

It's still a busy mine though, and every bit of its product goes towards making road salt. When I gave them a call today, the phones were apparently ringing off the hook. And while the company declined to comment on the shortage, they offered the following assurance—that "DSC is working closely with Metro Detroit communities to meet their needs this record-breaking season for winter safety."

The mine's media contact couldn't tell me much more than that—but his email signature said it all:

O! February Days tick by
And like that, gone.

Lead image: Workers shovel road salt at the London Strategic Salt Reserve. Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images.

Copyright © 2010 International Ship Masters' Association Detroit Lodge No. 7, Inc. All Rights Reserved

12 rare photos inside a beautiful mine that's hidden 2,000 feet below Lake Erie

About 2,000 feet under Lake Erie, 30 miles east of Cleveland in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, you'll find a vast site called the Morton Salt Mine. Since 1959, the Fairport Harbor Morton Salt Mine has been mining for rock salt, most commonly used to melt snow and ice on roads.

The mine does not allow people other than workers to go underground, so when Morton Salt's parent company, K+S, offered Ricky Rhodes a tour to photograph for its company newsletter, he jumped at the opportunity.

"The experience was like nothing I have experienced before," Rhodes told Business Insider of his tour. "I don't really have anything to compare it to." The mine is an unusual space of long tunnels lit only by headlamps of the workers and minimal lights on the ceiling.

Luckily, Rhodes had the right photography gear to bring the place to life.

Morton Salt Mine runs about 3 miles in length under Lake Erie.

salt mines under detroit tours

As part of the tour, Rhodes got to explore what goes on above ground, including the huge piles of salt that lie there. Rock salt, used to melt snow and ice on roads, is often dyed blue so that it stands out when it's dispensed on the street.

salt mines under detroit tours

Source: Chromatech Colors

Driving by the mine above ground, you would never know that it's there. "Manufacturing equipment and detritus is pretty common in Cleveland, so I don't think people think too much into this," Rhodes said. "I'm not sure that people connect the large piles of salt to the massive mining operation happening 2,000 feet below the lake."

salt mines under detroit tours

Workers can enter the mine by taking a four-minute elevator ride.

salt mines under detroit tours

Much of the salt is moved from underground to above after it is broken up. Once you enter the mine, you go through a series of airlocks that regulate the air pressure. Fresh air from the surface is pumped down the mine shaft to supply oxygen to the miners.

salt mines under detroit tours

Workers are required to wear safety glasses, an emergency air pack that holds an hour's worth of oxygen, and protective headgear with headlights to help see around the dark area.

salt mines under detroit tours

Inside the mine it's "pitch black," Rhodes said. Luckily, his powerful photo gear was able to bring the area to life. He used the Canon 1DX camera and two Profoto AcuteB 600s, an on-location lighting setup, to capture the interior.

salt mines under detroit tours

The first operation for mining rock salt is undercutting, a process in which large machines cut a space 10 or more feet deep into a solid salt wall.

salt mines under detroit tours

Source: Morton Salt

Then small holes are drilled into the salt wall, and explosives are put into the holes. At the end of the day, explosives go off electrically.

salt mines under detroit tours

From that, several hundred to several thousand tons of rock salt are blasted. Ohio ranks fourth in salt production nationally and produces 5 million tons of rock salt a year. "Personally, I thought the mine was beautiful," Rhodes said.

salt mines under detroit tours

Source: Ohio History

Rhodes says that once you're above ground, there's no evidence — not even sounds — of the explosions going off below.

salt mines under detroit tours

"The mine is extremely large," Rhodes said. "It is a bit eerie because other than my tour guide and assistant, there were not too many people we came across."

salt mines under detroit tours

  • Main content

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The Detroit Salt Company, LLC, has owned and operated Michigan’s only rock salt mine since 1997. This privately held business was acquired by The Kissner Group in 2010 and is as rooted in southeast Michigan as the mine itself. The mine is a thriving Detroit business, supplying its local and national customers with tons of rock salt and premium ice melter formulations to safely maintain the precarious winter conditions of the snow regions.

5_Detroit_Salt_Mine_tour_preview.jpg

Like a high-performance team, the people of Detroit Salt Company are fundamental to this success story. From the miners and customer service representatives to the administrative staff and management team, each employee contributes to the company’s efficient mining process and enriches the workforce.

The salt mine’s 100+ year history with the city of Detroit encompasses decades of effort, manpower and technological advancements. The fruit of this labor is apparent in the phenomenal salt city now standing 1,100 feet beneath the bustling city life. It is very much a part of the history and fabric of Detroit, with a story that began millions of years ago.

The Detroit Salt Company takes pride on maintaining high standards of safety for its staff and the surrounding community.

Sentinel of Safety

The Detroit Salt Company has been a recipient of the Sentinel of Safety Award several times. The Mine Health and Safety Administration (MSHA) gives this award for mining operations that have outstanding safety records.

The Detroit Salt Company is a member of the Detroit Local Emergency Planning Committee and supports the community efforts to prepare for disasters through the CERT program.

The Detroit Salt Company also supports local community efforts in community policing and efforts against illegal dumping in the Southwest Detroit Area.   Particularly, we support:

  • Angel’s Night Patrols
  • IMPACT Community Policing Organization
  • American Red Cross of Southeastern Michigan
  • The Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision
  • The Southwest Graffiti Free Collaborative
  • The Wayne County Community Corrections Task Force
  • The Bridgeview Park upgrade project
  • Street Cleanups for illegal dumping sites

IMAGES

  1. Abandoned Salt Mine 1200 Feet Under Detroit

    salt mines under detroit tours

  2. Detroit, Michigan

    salt mines under detroit tours

  3. Inside the Vast Salt Mines of Subterranean Detroit

    salt mines under detroit tours

  4. Detroit's salt mine: City beneath the city

    salt mines under detroit tours

  5. The City Under Detroit Made of Salt

    salt mines under detroit tours

  6. Inside the Vast Salt Mines of Subterranean Detroit

    salt mines under detroit tours

COMMENTS

  1. The secret city beneath our feet: Inside Detroit's epic salt mines

    According to the Detroit Salt Company, 400 million years ago, ocean water flooded into a large basin, an area known as the Michigan Basin. As the water evaporated it left behind large deposits...

  2. Detroit Salt Mine

    The 1,060-foot shaft was finally completed in 1910. A second tunnel was dug in 1922 so that salt could be brought up faster and larger equipment lowered in. Miners rode down to the mine smushed...

  3. Detroit's salt mine: City beneath the city

    MICHIGAN HISTORY Detroit's salt mine: City beneath the city The Detroit News Men work in the salt mine underneath Detroit in this undated photo. This gigantic mine, 1,160 feet beneath...

  4. Detroit Salt Mine: The hidden gem beneath our city

    This is why it's so exciting to me that Detroit has a massive working salt mine that stretches 1,500 acres from Dearborn to Allen Park . The mine shaft itself is 1,160 feet straight down and there are more than 100 miles of roads connecting the different areas of the mines. It's an entire city beneath a city!

  5. History

    The existence of rock salt in the Detroit area was discovered in 1895. By 1906, the Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company was ready to tackle the chore of creating a local rock salt mine. The struggle down to the salt beds is one of the most impressive engineering accomplishments of its time.

  6. CuriosiD: Revisiting the salt mines underneath Detroit

    March 10, 2022 As WDET gears up for another season of CuriosiD, we're looking back at some of our top stories. Here's a look back at the salt mines that run underneath Detroit, Melvindale and Allen Park. WDET is working on a new season of CuriosiD - where listeners like you ask questions about what you're curious about in the region.

  7. Detroit salt mine

    The Detroit salt mine is a salt mine located 1,100 ft (340 m) below Detroit, Michigan. [1] The mine opened in 1910 and covers 1,500 acres (610 ha) underground. [2] In the beginning, the leather and food industries were the primary customers. Today, road deicing salt is the primary product. [3] History [ edit] Rock salt was discovered in 1895.

  8. Morning 4: A look inside the epic salt mines below the streets of

    Here are the top stories for the morning of June 16, 2022 Detroit salt mine workers (Detroit Salt Company) Morning 4 is a quick roundup of stories we think you should know about to start...

  9. The vast, abandoned salt mines that lurk beneath Detroit

    The Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company operated the mine until 1983 but then falling salt prices forced the mine to stop production. In its heyday in the 1920s, 1940s and '50s, the mine was ...

  10. Contact Us

    Home Tours Private Tours/Charters SMART PHONE APP TOURS Gift Certificates shop boutique Detroit History Club Events OFFICE HOURS Wednesday to Sunday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. *Tours and Events can be scheduled, in advance, 7 days a week. Call Us Do you have burning questions? Are you late for your tour?

  11. Detroit's abandoned tunnel systems open door to another world

    Road salt is the only form of salt currently produced by the mines, and tours were provided briefly in the mid-1980s but are now suspended because of ongoing production. More: A look inside Wayne ...

  12. The Secret City 1200 Feet Under Detroit

    There is practically a whole city of Salt mines some 200 feet under the hustle and bustle of modern Detroit. Economics of the antiquity was less complex a matter for the people who lived then, unlike today when most of the humanity is insanely unaware of the mechanics of World's economy.

  13. Detroit Salt Mines

    Dating back to the discovery of large rock salt deposits in 1895, the salt mines underneath Detroit played a role in the city's historic boom, as extraction of the salt (nearly 8,000 tons monthly in 1914) was a valuable resource in leather and food processing industries.

  14. Detroit's salt mines are Michigan's biggest buried secret

    Salt mining is a Detroit industry older than auto manufacturing, and is such an impressive endeavor, it's best summed up in a series of statistics that are earth-shattering in the most...

  15. has anyone taken a tour of the salt mines : r/Detroit

    As many know: there are large salt mines under the city. Anyone toured then? This thread is archived New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast 9 8 Related Topics Detroit Wayne County Michigan United States of America North America Place 8 comments Best meowcat187 • 9 yr. ago Excellent question. How do you even get to them?

  16. CuriosiD: Are There Salt Mines Under Detroit?

    Culture & Music CuriosiD CuriosiD News CuriosiD: Are There Salt Mines Under Detroit? Pat Batcheller May 15, 2017 Yes, but other than miners, few people have ever seen the inside of them. Local governments use rock salt in the winter to melt ice on the roads. You knew that already.

  17. The Incredible Urban Salt Mines Hiding Underneath Our Feet

    Some American mines still operate independently. The most famous of all is the Detroit Salt Mine, a 114-year-old mine that takes advantage of a gigantic salt deposit below the city (fun fact: it ...

  18. Detroit Salt Company

    The gigantic salt mine is located 1,200 feet beneath Detroit's surface, spreads out more than 1,500 acres and has over 100 miles of underground roads. The mineshaft opening is located at 12841 Sanders Street in Detroit, Michigan. Welcome to the city beneath the city...

  19. Abandoned Salt Mine 1200 Feet Under Detroit Is The Size Of An ...

    Abandoned Salt Mine 1200 Feet Under Detroit Is The Size Of An Entire City.....Subscribe us : https://goo.gl/wxvr3zIts a dependable fact that Detroit ...

  20. International Shipmasters' Association

    Thanks to the generosity of the Detroit Salt Company, and the organizing efforts of Lodge No. 7 member Malcolm "Mac" McAdam, this group was given the rare opportunity to tour the mine of the Detroit Salt Company on Saturday, June 26, 2010. The tour also served as a fund-raiser for the ISMA Grand Lodge Scholarship Fund.

  21. Photos of the Salt Mine Below Lake Erie

    About 2,000 feet under Lake Erie, 30 miles east of Cleveland in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, you'll find a vast site called the Morton Salt Mine. Since 1959, the Fairport Harbor Morton Salt Mine has ...

  22. About

    The Detroit Salt Company, LLC, has owned and operated Michigan's only rock salt mine since 1997. This privately held business was acquired by The Kissner Group in 2010 and is as rooted in southeast Michigan as the mine itself.