130 years ago today - Feb 28, 1889

[Wilford Woodruff]
I ] visited the Salt Air works 12 miles west from the Temple Block 16 miles by the Railway. Note This company have 1,000 acres of ground laid off into Salt beds which are filled with water from the Salt Lake. They extract the Soda and mangnesia from the Salt by drainage. They have a large building in which is machinery run by an engine, for bringing in the Salt from the dump outside, grinding it, drying again grinding it fine, sacking, or carrying to the Railway cars where it is loaded in sacks or in bulk. They make an excellent article of fine table salt 99 2/10 pure. The water from the Lake is brought in a canal some 400 yards long and is pumped by a centrifugal pump 15 or 16 feet high in a quantity to cover 100 acres 1 inch deep in 10 hours. They have a capacity of grinding and sacking 50 tons of salt per day and have several 100 tons now on hand. It is no doubt a grand enterprise.

[Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]