Potash Plant Ruins - Sandhills Journey
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Potash Plant Ruins - Sandhills Journey
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The ruins of a Potash Plant in the ghost town of Antioch, Nebraska, as seen along the Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway.
Potash was imported from Germany to produce fertilizer, Epsom Salts, soda, and other products. However, during World War I, potash became so scarce the price went from around 8-10 dollars a ton to over $150 a ton!
Then in 1917, University of Nebraska scientist's discovered a way to distill potash from the alkaline lakes in the Sandhills. Five potash reduction factories were built in Antioch. Virtually overnight, the town boomed, growing from a schoolhouse, one church, and a store to a population of 5000 people. It became known as the "potash capital of Nebraska."
In 1921, after the war, the US resumed trade with Germany and France. However, the US potash trade was decimated since it was so much cheaper to import. The factories closed and were mostly destroyed.
Today, Antioch is a ghost town with less than 25 residents, but the ruins of the potash plants are on the National Register of Historic Places.
You can see the ruins from two of the five plants along the Byway.
Copyright 2021 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
August 23rd, 2021
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