Hutchinson Salt Co. — Underground Rock Salt Mining & Class III Railroad

Who We Are

A Working Mine, Not a Warehouse.

Hutchinson Salt Company operates an underground rock salt mine 650 feet below the Kansas prairie. Our mine reaches into the Hutchinson Salt Member of the Wellington Formation — massive halite deposits laid down 275 million years ago when an ancient inland sea evaporated during the Permian Period. This formation is one of the largest known rock salt deposits in the world, stretching across central Kansas, and our mine has been in continuous operation since 1923.

We produce bulk rock salt for winter road maintenance, livestock feed, and industrial applications — and we deliver it on our own Class III railroad with 225+ railcars and dedicated track infrastructure. Our agricultural salt carries OMRI certification for use in organic farming, one of the few mined salt products with this distinction. From extraction through rail interchange, we control the supply chain.

Truck loading salt at Hutchinson Salt facility

Road Deicing

Winter Road Maintenance

Bulk rock salt for state highway departments, municipalities, and private contractors. Effective at temperatures down to 15°F, keeping roads safe through Midwest winters. Available in bulk quantities with rail or truck delivery — stockpile programs and seasonal contracts available.

Kansas Medium Kansas Fine

Agricultural Salt

OMRI-Certified Organic

Feed-grade salt for livestock and agricultural applications. Our agricultural salt is OMRI-certified for use in organic farming operations — one of the few mined rock salt products carrying this certification. Trusted by ranchers, dairies, and feed operations across the Midwest and Great Plains.

Kansas Fine Kansas Dried Fine

Front loader moving salt in storage facility

Bulk & Industrial

Processing & Manufacturing

Bulk rock salt for water softening, chemical manufacturing, food processing, and other industrial applications requiring high-purity sodium chloride. Custom gradations available for volume customers.

Kansas Medium Kansas Fine Kansas Dried Fine

Our Story

Salt City. Since 1887.

In 1887, Ben Blanchard was drilling for oil near Hutchinson when he struck something unexpected — a massive underground salt deposit. That failed oil well launched an industry. Within a year, commercial salt production had begun, and Hutchinson earned the nickname “Salt City” that it carries to this day.

The underground mine that Hutchinson Salt Company operates today was opened in 1923 by the Carey Salt Company. Over the past century, the mine has been in continuous operation through multiple owners, each expanding the vast network of underground chambers. Today, the mine encompasses nearly 980 acres underground — with over 150 miles of mined passages stretching beneath the Kansas prairie.

Our mine is recognized as one of the safest in the industry, with the Hutchinson Salt Mine Rescue Team earning first-place finishes at Kansas Mine Rescue Association state competitions. That same discipline and preparedness keeps our miners safe 650 feet underground every day.

1887

Ben Blanchard strikes salt while drilling for oil near Hutchinson. Commercial salt production begins within a year. Hutchinson earns the nickname “Salt City.”

1923

Carey Salt Company opens the underground mine and builds the Hutchinson & Northern Railroad — an electrified freight line connecting the mine to mainline carriers.

1959

Underground Vaults & Storage begins preserving irreplaceable artifacts in the mine’s stable environment — including original negatives from Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, and Star Wars.

2007

Strataca (now the Kansas Underground Salt Museum) opens inside the mine, making it one of the only places in the world where visitors can experience a working salt mine firsthand.

OMRI

Agricultural salt products receive OMRI certification for use in organic farming — one of the few mined rock salt products carrying this distinction nationwide.

Today

Now part of the Instar Holdings family. Vertically integrated mine-to-market operation with our own Class III railroad, serving customers across the central United States.

Infrastructure

Our Own Railroad.

Hutchinson Salt owns and operates a Class III short line railroad — a rare competitive advantage in the mining industry. Originally built in 1923 as an electrified freight line by the Carey Salt Company, the Hutchinson & Northern Railroad has served the mine continuously for over a century.

Today, with 225+ railcars and miles of dedicated track, we control the logistics chain from mine face to interchange with major Class I carriers for nationwide distribution. This infrastructure eliminates dependency on third-party carriers and ensures consistent supply even during peak winter demand when every ton of road salt counts.

225+

Railcars

1923

Railroad Est.

Hutchinson Salt facility with headframe and rail cars

Miner with headlamp working underground at 650 feet

Below the Surface

More Than a Mine.

The underground complex beneath Hutchinson extends nearly 980 acres, with over 150 miles of mined passages. The constant temperature (68°F), low humidity, and geological stability 650 feet underground have made this space uniquely valuable beyond mining.

Underground Vaults & Storage operates within the mine complex, preserving some of America’s most irreplaceable artifacts — including original film negatives from Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, and Star Wars, along with documents, master recordings, and corporate archives.

Strataca

The Kansas Underground Salt Museum, located inside our mine, is one of the only places in the world where visitors can tour a working salt mine 650 feet below the surface.

TV & Film

Featured on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and in national media coverage of underground mining and preservation.

People of the Prairie. Salt of the Earth. True as Steel.

A Working Mine, Not a Warehouse.

Our Products