The Salt Almanac Français

Did you know?

Lewis and Clark spent two months boiling seawater for salt

By The Salt AlmanacPublished November 8, 2026

Old photograph of a low stone cairn surrounded by a fence, the site of Lewis and Clark's salt works
The Lewis and Clark salt cairn at Seaside, Oregon, photographed about 1914.Photo: Arthur Prentiss. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Image source

From late December 1805 to 21 February 1806, men from the expedition boiled seawater “day and night” in five kettles at what is now Seaside, Oregon. They made about three quarts a day, roughly four bushels in all; Meriwether Lewis called it “excellent, fine, strong & white.”

Read the full story: Sea salt

More salt facts

Leonardo da Vinci painted spilled salt into The Last SupperRobert Burns moved house with a bowl of saltGandhi walked 387 km (240 miles) to make saltMarco Polo saw salt used as money in China

Cite this page

For school projects and reports. Teachers often prefer the original sources too: see the list below.

The Salt Almanac. (2026, November 8). Lewis and clark spent two months boiling seawater for salt. https://saltalmanac.com/did-you-know/lewis-clark-salt-works

Original sources

  1. National Park Service. Salt Works, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. https://www.nps.gov/lewi/learn/historyculture/histcult-places-saltworks.htm