Lyons Salt Mine, 1915

[written on back of picture]:  "This picture was taken in 1915 at Lyons, KS.  This is a group of teachers from Rice Co., Ks.  At this time this salt mine was the deepest one in the world.  It was just at ¼ mile deep.  This layer of salt was 15 ft. thick.  One above it was 17 ft. thick.  Salt rocks were blasted & "picked" - loaded in little steel cars - pulled by a single small mule, over a steel double rail to the elevators & taken up for processing into different uses - blocks for stock use, table, coarse for meat, rock salt for pickling & ice cream, etc.  Black cord in forefront is electric cable.  There was a time limit for keeping a mule in mine - had to be replaced by a new one.  They were soon replaced by electric-fun cars."