Photo © Bob Baillargeon
Taken in 1975, and from the Bob Baillargeon collection, many thanks to Bob for sharing photos with us. This photo is taken under the earth inside the Windsor Salt Mine.
Anyone out there ever been in the mines? Sounds like it would make a great Doors Open location too, although it today’s day and age of liability, it’s very hard to get places like this open…
I hear stories that once upon a time there used to be Salt Mine tours, open to the public and for school children, etc… Someone must have some stories to share.
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They used to take the first year geology students on tours and I do recall the possibility of public tours but never did get there, one of those local attractions one doesn’t get around to unless entertaining visitors from other parts, I suppose. Driving cab, I once picked up a trip off a boat at the salt mine’s dock, driving way out along the pier which was covered with salt as was the road through the yard. Guess ice wouldn’t be much of a problem!
You are correct Andrew, there are no more tours available. The greedy lawyers and the persistent slicing and dicing of our laws is what stops things like this from continuing.
Many houses with basements in LaSalle can be heard the blasting in these mines.
Thanks for such an interesting photo. Hopefully there will be more.
I am sure any tours would be out for insurance sake, I often thought though that perhaps some smaller tours would be a good fund raiser for some organization such as the United Way, I know I would buy a raffle ticket on a chance win an opportunity to view them.
Windsor Salt or Canadian Salt, actually is owned by Morten Salt, a U.S. company. Salt is mow mined by using hot steam to liquify the mass into brine and then the water is evaporated, leaving the salt behind.
1954 there was a salt mine collapse on the proprety, it swallowed up a mine building. Anyone have info on that?
I know we like to vent against insurance companies and lawyers but I suspect the tours were just too big a hassle.Really what’s in it for the salt company. Better brand loyalty?
The fence of death has been put up around St. Anthony Of Padua on Parent.
I ACTUALLY WENT FOR TOUR IN SEPTEMEBR OF 2005.THEY HELD A TOUR AVAILABLE TO THE EMPLOYEES FAMILIES – MY NEIGHBOR AT THE TIME BROUGHT ME AND MY MOTHER DOWN…IT WAS VERY NEAT…IT ACTUALLY LOOKED LIKE THE NORTH POLE WITH ALL THE SALT CRYSTALS. THEY GAVE US HARD HATS AND WE DROVE ABOUT 20 MINS TO THE CURRENT BLASTING LOCATION – WHICH IS CURRENTLY – IF MY MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT – UNDER GRASSY ISLAND.I REMEMBER THE TOUR GUIDE SAYING THAT THE POCKET OF SALT REACHES SOUTH TOWARDS THE MOUTH OF LAKE ERIE AND THAT THE SALT BLASTING WILL EVENTUALLY HIT THE BOBLO AREA IN ABOUT 30 YEARS – I WORK IN LASALLE AND EVERYDAY AT 3:10 PM I FEEL THE BLAST RUMBLE UNDER MY FEET- REALLY COOL!
I heard from someone that took the tour a few decades ago that salt corrosion was so pervasive, machinery had to be replaced regularly. Vehicles would be brought to the surface after years of service and would then literally fall to pieces in the relatively moist atmosphere.
I’d love to see a map of the entire mine system if there is one available. It would be interesting to see how far reaching the mines are…
WENT ON A TOUR WITH A CHURCH GROUP ( sorry) back in 1957. It was very impressive. we were told to wear an old pair of shoes as the salt would ruin any leather. Public tours were limited even then. It’s a mine with all the possibility of danger of any mine.
I was also told at the time that some shafts ran under the US as well. I don’t know how true that is.
In response to Robbie,
My wife an I were on the same tour in 2005. What an experience! The ride underground seemed to take forever as we were transported to the mine “face”. Here we watched them dig the salt from the “face”, place it on huge roller belts and move it to the next destination.
I was very interested in the machinery as well. All the trucks, hoists, and other equipment is disassembled on the surface, lowered, piece by piece, then reassembled under ground.
Following the tour we were given a commerative travel mug and a huge piece of rock salt. Having lived in Windsor for the past 67 years, it was the first (and probably last) time I had ever toured the mine.
Thanks to my friends at the mine.
Does anyone know how far (east-west) the mine shafts extend into Lasalle and Windsor?
Just curious.
When I was a surveyor more than 15 years ago I was in the salt mines. We used to give them lines so they blasted in straight lines and didn’t make the tunnels go all over the place. It is pretty neat under there but easy to get lost. Every tunnel looks the same, they have to paint letters and numbers on the intersections so everyone knows where they are. They these huge industrial fans that keep it around 68 degrees all year round. It was nice to go under there for a few days but I don’t know how they can work down there for a lifetime. It would make you go crazy after a while. It’s neat to see all the different colours in the walls of salt.
NICE!
I’ve also heard they extend under the river.
My big curiosity is what sorts of remian lay under the original site where CBC is now. That would be an awesome “Cities of the Underworld” show!
Back in 1972 I worked for a bit with “Peter Pan Catering” (Tecummseh Road east of Lauzon Road. My catering route took me out Sandwich Street to the Windsor Raceway and the Windsor Salt mine. I remember it was during the summer they directed me to drive into the mine to setup for the crew in there. Outside it was around 85* but in the mine it was about 65* so cold in fact I was shivering, and glad to come out topside to the sun and warmth.
I believe no tours are possible as they have since started using the mines to store propane gas, which ETR was bringing in on rails starting 3 years back. Major dangerous – one guy carelessly smoking could blow up the entire Windsor / Detroit area right off the map if that’s the case. Someone might be able to confirm that.
I’m not too concerned about that. According to wikimapia, this has been going on down there since 1973, it’s in 9 storage caverns 1200-1500 feet down. I’d only be worried if it was owned by BP.
Oh wait……..IT IS!!!!!!!!
We’re doomed.
lol
The elevator ride was always fun, drop a mile down in like 2 minutes, lol. My ears never stopped popping and it shook and rattled like crazy.
Hello, “Mine production Manager”,
I live in LaSalle, right off of Victory St. next door to the Essex Golf Club, and the reason I am writting this letter to ask of you the following question please.
Where is your underground operation at this time, is it directly under my neighbourhood because there is a constant noise of a heavy machine that runs for about 20-30 seconds about every 5 minutes and it actually vibrates my house and is impossible to sleep at times?
This noise has been betting louder and louder over the past few weeks and I would like to know what is going on, There are no other operations going around at this time near my property, and if the mine is causing this annoying noise at night then the operation must be changed to do this during the daylight hours which will not cause me distress.
My phone number is 519-734-6833, and would expect an answer to this question before I follow up on this important problem through the media. If I have the wrong address please set me straight as to where I must address this problem.
Hello “Mine Production Manager”
I live in LaSalle, right next door to the Essex Golf Club off Victory St. and the reason I am writting this letter to ask you the following question.
Where is your undergroung operation at this time? Is it directly undet my neighbourhood because there is a constant noise of heavy machinery that runs for about 20-30 seconds about every 5 minutes all night long and it actually vibrates my whole house and is impossible to sleep at times.
This noise has been getting louder and louder over the past few weeks and I would like to know what is going on here. There are no other opetations going on around at this time near my property and if the mine is causing this annoying noise at night then the operation must be changed to do this during the daylight hours which will not cause me distress.
My phone number is 519-734-6833, and would expect an answer to this question, and if I have the wrong address please set me straing as to where I must address this problem.
Joe – This is a website that has nothing to do with the salt mine. You won’t find your answer here.
I’ve been led to believe that some of the tunnels are as far reaching as Sarnia.
The salt deposits are huge around the great lakes(1st link)as well as other locations in North America.
http://www.saltinstitute.org/content/download/561/3308
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_Salt_Mine
Too bad the picture was taken down
I’m fascinated by the mines. I’ve heard it stretches as far east to St. Clair Beach (where I live, currently). I would love to take a tour!
When I was in Chicago last year, I heard a talk radio broadcast about the Morton Salt company. They were saying that the area that they were mining salt was literally sitting on pillars of salt. I assumed that’s what it was like here. That is kind of the vision I created in my own head when I learned about it in school a long time ago. But from the descriptions here, that’s not true at all, or is it? I’ll admit, that with the “seemingly” increasing occurrences of major sink holes, or their reporting, in the US, I’ve been a little worried about something happening here. But like I said, the literal pillars of salt has been on my mind for a long time. Hopefully, it’s all just irrational fears of mine, like the robot apocalypse
Only time will tell.
A little background on the salt mines. Years ago this area from Hudson Bay to Tennessee was a salt water ocean. When the last glacier came through, the lateral moraines left a salt deposit from Manitoulin to Ohio, along with the vast suppy of oil and gas. In 1890, Sir William Van Horne who was the head of the CPR drilled for salt between Caron and Crawford. It was one of the top things that put Windsor on the map along with the Great Western RR in 1854, the auto industry and the Scottish clothiers who brought Detroiters over for their wools.
I lived in Windsor from 2001 to 2003 in a high rise apartment building at the corner of Riverside & Mackay. Occasionally I would feel the building ‘shift’ or move. I didn’t keep track of any particular time but I always assumed that this was connected to salt mining activity. Now, after recent sink hole news coverage in other parts of North America, I wonder if the Windsor area is vulnerable to a similar fate.
Don’t worry, Windsor sits firmly upon it’s pillars of salt.
To go on a Salt Mine Tour go to Poland. In the city of Krakow there are two salt mines within an hours drive or take a regular shuttle bus. One of the bigger mines is called WIELICZKA and the second smaller one is called BOCHNIA. They both go back in history more than 100 years and are now only open for tours. Google the names and see for yourself. We were there Summer 2014.
Just returned from a visit to Salzburg Austria. While there we went on a saltmine tour to one of the mines that put Salzburg on the map historically. It was an amazing experience to go into a mine that began it’s history approx. 2500 years ago by the Kelts. The trip got me thinking about home, and the saltmines in Sarnia, and got me searching for information about them, and if tours are available. It would be such a great opportunity if possible to open one of them to public tours.