- Utah Cutthroat Slam releases newest medallion after reaching over 1,750 completions
- Tips to prevent conflicts with bats
- Want to try hunting? Take a hunter education class or enroll in Utah's Trial Hunting Program
- Over 10K boats inspected for aquatic invasive species during Fourth of July weekend
- Blue Ribbon Fisheries program allocates $450K to enhance some of Utah's best fishing spots during 2025-26 projects
- See hummingbirds up close at banding event in northeastern Utah
- Want the chance to hunt big game this fall? Remaining 2025 deer, elk permits to be sold beginning July 8
- Want the chance to hunt cranes, grouse or swans in Utah this fall? Apply for 2025 permits starting July 2
Salt
We know very little about the use of salt from the Great Salt Lake until the 1800s. Once permanent settlers arrived in the area, various companies began to mine salt, although eventually The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bought out these companies and monopolized the salt industry from 1898 to 1918.
In 1918, Morton Salt Company moved into the area and was so successful that they later purchased the salt business run by the Church. Morton's efforts to produce salt efficiently included many different techniques, but the most effective was to simply set up solar evaporation ponds.
Salt production starts each year in March, and the harvesting process is generally finished by November.
Aside from food seasonings, uses of this mineral include:
- salt cake (anhydrous sodium sulfate Na2SO4, used to manufacture glass and other chemicals)
- detergent fillers
- making paper and ceramics
- chemical processing
- vinyl
- plastics
- synthetic fibers
- bleach
- oil drilling
- salting winter roads
Learn more about salt production and processing.