Posted in Kansas April 02, 2016 by

11 Fascinating Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Strataca In Kansas

The results are in: According to several entertainment and review sites, Strataca: The Underground Salt Museum is one of the most popular attractions in Kansas. You probably know the general concept of the museum, but did you know these 11 other fascinating things?

1. There may be 15 salt mines in the country, but Strataca is the only one accessible to tourists.
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2. The salt deposits (which are located 650 feet below the earth's surface) are thought to be formed 275 million years ago.
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3. The Salt Mine Express, which travels underground on rails left behind from the early mining days, formerly operated at the Hutchinson Zoo and was converted to run on electricity.
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4. The Strataca isn't only home to a salt mine, but to the Underground Vaults and Storage as well. The secure storage facility houses such historic articles as this New York Times article, published the day after President Lincoln's assassination...
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5. ...props and costumes from a number of well known films...
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6. ...and original film reels from classics such as "The Wizard of Oz" and "Gone with the Wind."
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7. The salt formation is one of the largest in the world and spans a whopping 27,000 square miles (through Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico).
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8. Strataca was named one of the “Eight Wonders of Kansas” in January 2008.
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9. One of the neighboring mines, the Carey Salt Mine, was founded in 1923 and is the only rock salt mine remaining in Reno County.
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10. Salt was originally discovered near Hutchinson in 1887 during an oil drill.
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11. More than 500,000 ton of rock salt is removed each year from the Carey Salt Mine.
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How many of these Strataca tidbits did you know?