| What
Was: Railroad Surveyor B.F. Leete saw potential
in the salt beds at Leete in 1871, and soon thereafter was supplying salt
to the silver mills. On hot days, the vats could make ten tons of salt per
day per acre. The salt works was comprised of seven acres of vats. In the
period between 1879 and 1884 they shipped 334,000 tons of salt. In 1901-1903
the Central Pacific railroad relocated the rail line from Wadsworth to Brown's
via Hazen. They removed the rails, but left every other tie under an agreement
with Leete, who wanted to build his own light railroad to transport salt.
The railroad was completed in 1903, but didn't ship any salt until 1906.
Only 171 cars of salt were shipped form 1906 thru 1910. Bankruptcy followed
quickly, and the Central Pacific ended up owning the railroad and the salt
works in 1910. By 1916 the railraod had been dismantled and hauled away.
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