Salt of the Earth EarthCache
This cache has been locked, but it is available for viewing.
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(not chosen)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This area is accessible for all cachers, the terrain difficulty is non-existent. Location: Saline County in southern Illinois.
Handicapped Accessible earthcache with requirements to log being:
1) Post a picture with you and your GPS in front of the informational sign at this coordinate.
Email the answers to the following questions with the name of the earthcache to the owner.
2) An intensive study was made at this location, with many tools and animal and plant remains found from prehistory because of what conditions?
3) Which fork of the Saline River was a meandering stream with large area of swamps and shallow cypress lakes, and an area rich in plants and animals?
This area of some 143 acres was inhabited by prehistoric people throughout three different archeological periods, totaling at least 2,500 years. The oldest, the Archaic period, was from 3000-4000 B.C. This was followed by inhabitants of the Woodland period which extended from perhaps 500 to 600 B.C. until 900 A.D. This third people who lived in the area are referred to by archaeologists as agriculturists, and lived at the location from approximately 1000 A.D. until 1500 A.D. The south fork of the Saline River was the location of thousands of deer, buffalo and antelope. The animals were attracted to the site by their need for salt, which was brought to the surface by multiple springs. Simply by licking the mud banks along the river the need for salt could be met. Tall grass and an abundant water supply made the area an animal paradise. The animals provided food, tools, and clothing for civilization after civilization. The Indian cherished the location where a plentiful supply of food salt and other necessities could be secured. The site was also enhanced by its location next to a 900 acre glacial lake. Excellent preservation conditions thus permitted the recovery of a wide assortment of artifacts leading to new insights into Middle Archaic life in southern Illinois. Tools fashioned from stone and animal bones provided information about technology employed between 4000-3000 B.C. Plant residue and animal remains provided information about diet and food preparation. Two salt springs in Gallatin County produced brine for one of the earliest salt works west of the Alleghenies.
The recovery of more than 100 skeletons gave new insights on diseases and injuries of the Middle Archaic people.
Methods of burial furnish important information as to how the society of the period was organized.
The saline formations are actually saltwater mixed with sandstone called Mount Simon layers. The saltwater in the Mount Simon sandstone is three times as salty as you find in the ocean. It has no economical use. This sandstone layer can be as thick as 1,000 to 1,200 feet.
Within this same county but on private land and posted as No Trespassing were more prevalent sources of salt, found in springs along the Saline River. For people whose diet consists primarily of vegetables, salt is an important mineral to maintain basic health. Salt was also an essential ingredient for tanning hides. Hides, and particularly deer hides, were used as currency by pioneers and frontiersmen. In this culture, there were doe skins and buck skins which eventually gave us the term “buck” in our present monetary system. These springs were so important that they supplied salt for much of the Midwest and were a topic of discussion in planning policy in the national government. It has been said that the tax from the sale of the salt sustained the early Illinois government to the point that it may not have survived without it.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)