The Illinois Salines, also known as the Saline Springs or Great Salt Springs, is a

salt spring A brine spring or salt spring is a saltwater spring. Brine springs are not necessarily associated with halite deposits in the immediate vicinity. They may occur at valley bottoms made of clay and gravel which became soggy with brine seeped downslo ...

site located along the Saline River in

Gallatin County, Illinois Gallatin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 4,828, making it the third-least populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Shawneetown. It is located in the southern ...

. The site was a source of salt for Illinois' prehistoric settlers and is now an archaeological site with a large quantity of organic remains. After European settlement of Illinois, the salt springs became part of Illinois' first major industry and were one of the only places in Illinois where slavery was legal after 1818.

Prehistory

The Illinois Salines were an important source of salt for prehistoric residents of Illinois. The earliest occupation of the site is speculated to have occurred during the

Early Woodland Period In the classification of archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BCE to European contact in the eastern part of North America, with some archaeologi ...

; the site continued to be occupied through the Mississippian period. The salt excavated from the site was traded to other prehistoric sites in Illinois, as evidenced by the recovery of items from the Saline Springs at the Kincaid Site at the southern tip of Illinois. The Saline Springs are also an important site of prehistoric remains such as shells, bones, and other organic materials. Excavations at the site began in the mid-1800s and have continued through the 20th century.Zdzieblowski, Arthur. ''National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Saline Springs''.

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

, 1973-02-14. An archaeological project led by

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Tr ...

has studied the site since 1981.

Modern history

The southern Illinois salines were the first major industry in the

Illinois Territory The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. Its ...

following European settlement. The salines, where brine was boiled down into salt, were financially successful, and became the property of the State of Illinois upon its statehood in 1818. Although Illinois was legally a free state, an exemption in the

Illinois Constitution The Constitution of the State of Illinois is the governing document of the state of Illinois. There have been four Illinois Constitutions; the fourth and current version was adopted in 1970. The current constitution is referred to as the "Constit ...

allowed slavery at the Illinois Salines and other salt springs near

Shawneetown Shawneetown is a city in Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,239 at the 2010 census, down from 1,410 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Gallatin County. Geography Shawneetown is located southeast of the cent ...

; this exception was made because the slave-operated salines contributed one-third of the new state's yearly revenue. The law allowed African slaves to be imported to the site until 1825, when the exemption expired. However,

indentured servitude Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an "indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensation or debt repayment, ...

at the springs continued past this point. Salt production continued until 1870, when competition from

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

salt mines drove the springs out of business. The site was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on May 24, 1973.

Notable people

John Crenshaw John Hart Crenshaw (November 19, 1797 – December 4, 1871) was an American landowner, salt maker, kidnapper and slave trader, based out of Gallatin County, Illinois. He is also the great-great grandfather of killer and suspected serial killer ...

John Duff (counterfeiter) John Duff, born John McElduff, or John Michael McElduff, because early court records referred to him as John Michael Duff (September 1759 or August 1760 – June 4, 1799 or 1805), was a counterfeiter, criminal gang leader, horse thief, catt ...

* James Ford (pirate)

References

* Berry, Daina Ramey.
The Price for Their Pound of Flesh: The Value of the Enslaved from Womb to Grave in the Building of a Nation
'. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2017. *McFarland, Joe.
When Salt was Gold - Illinois DNR
, ''Outdoor Illinois'', October 2009. Springfield, IL: Illinois Department of Natural Resources. *Musgrave, Jon. ''Slaves, Salt, Sex and Mr. Crenshaw: The Real Story of the Old Slave House and America's Reverse Underground R. R.''. IllinoisHistory.com, 2008. *Musgrave, Jon.

Springfield, IL: The Illinois Gen Web Project, 2018. *Myers, Jacob W.

', 14:3-4.

External links

{{National Register of Historic Places Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Geography of Gallatin County, Illinois Mississippian culture Slavery in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Gallatin County, Illinois Springs of Illinois