From prehistoric times to early American settlement to the Civil War years and beyond, salt has been among southwest Arkansas’s distinctive natural resources. It is not known precisely when Indians first began extracting the mineral from the earth near the Ouachita River in Clark County, but it was certainly prior to the arrival of the first European explorers. Because of this lengthy historical significance, one site, Bayou Sel, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

   Hernando DeSoto’s expedition was the first to document salt-making operations in Arkansas through the writings of the “Gentleman of Elvas,” who told of the Indians’ primitive salt mining methods. The Indians provided DeSoto’s men with some much-needed salt during their journey across Arkansas which began in 1541.

   Then, many years later, explorers William Dunbar and George Hunter learned of the mineral’s presence in this area in 1804 as they traveled up the Ouachita River toward the fabled hot springs. Hunter visited a “saline” and returned to camp with ten quarts of water extracted from it. The solution produced a “saline mass weighing when dry 8 ounces.”

   Within the decade following Dunbar and Hunter’s visit, the site now known as Arkadelphia came to be permanently settled by Americans. In about 1811, John Hemphill and his large family were among those who chose to make their home at the place. Hemphill believed salt-making to be a worthwhile enterprise and obtained land east of the Ouachita River for that purpose. He soon began using iron kettles for boiling the salt water and sold his product to settlers throughout the region.

   The venture was among Arkansas’s earliest manufacturing operations. Unfortunately, Hemphill died about 1818. After his death, the salt works were leased to others for a time, and Hemphill’s son-in-law Jonathan O. Callaway managed the operation for several years. But, operations ceased in 1851 and the place sat idle for about a decade.

   During the Civil War salt became scarce, and the salt works reopened. New wells were sunk as the Confederate Army took responsibility for the site. Men worked around the clock to help supply the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Army with salt. A large furnace was built for continuous operation, and new heating vessels were made from the boilers of various ships sunk and abandoned along the Ouachita River. With the approach of U.S. troops under General Frederick Steele in 1864 during the Red River Campaign, operations came to a halt once again.

   After the war, H.J. Edgarton attempted to re-start the mining of salt, and even gained the moniker “Salty” among friends and acquaintances. The nickname remained in use for decades. Arkadelphia’s Southern Standard had high hopes for the effort launched by Edgarton and partner Eaton, reporting in 1874 that the salt works across the Ouachita River will be brought into successful operation. These works, as most of our readers know, yielded immense quantities of this most needed mineral. Indeed, had it not been for the product of the “old salt works” during the war the people of this section of our state would have suffered sadly. We rejoice to know that the field has been opened anew, and that it is in the hands of competent and enterprising men who have had many years’ experience in the business.

     Edgarton was an active builder and constructed a number of small bridges in eastern Clark County while also consistently working to maintain area roads. All the while, Edgarton and Eaton continued their efforts at the salt works well into mid-1875 when the local paper noted that the pair’s project was progressing finely. According to the report, they found the water stronger the deeper they go. They have bored about one hundred and fifty feet and have found water stronger than that at a great many works which are profitably worked, but they are confident of finding it much stronger, and hence continue to bore. The indications are that these works will be a perfect success. Little is known about the operation after that time.

     Few details exist to tell us about the actual appearance of the salt works facilities, but Civil War-era records refer to several buildings, two wells, and a large furnace. Plus, portions of brick structures were found during a 1939 study of the site. Archeological excavations have uncovered evidence of considerable architectural construction and extensive habitation areas of the Indians.

1865 Army Engineers map showing salt works near the Ouachita River