Salt places to visit · Gallatin County, Illinois
Illinois Salines (Great Salt Springs)
Salt springs used for over 2,000 years, first by Woodland and Mississippian peoples, later by the young state of Illinois.
At a glance
| Where | Saline River, near Shawneetown, Gallatin County, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Type of place | Archaeological salt springs |
| Native salt making | From the Early Woodland period through the Mississippian period, people boiled brine here into salt. |
| Trade | Salt from the springs was traded across the region; finds from the springs turn up at the Kincaid site at Illinois's southern tip. |
| Later history | The springs became Illinois's first major industry. They were also one of the few places in Illinois where slavery was legal after 1818. |
| Visiting | It is an archaeological site studied by Southern Illinois University since 1981. |
The salt story
The springs were so valuable that a special exemption in the 1818 Illinois Constitution allowed enslaved labour at the salt works, which produced a third of the new state's yearly revenue. Salt production ended around 1870, when cheaper salt from West Virginia took over.
Hours, seasons and prices change. Check with the site before you travel.
More salt places
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). Illinois salines (great salt springs). https://saltalmanac.com/places/illinois-salines
“Illinois Salines (Great Salt Springs) | Salt Places to Visit.” The Salt Almanac, 8 Nov. 2026, saltalmanac.com/places/illinois-salines. Accessed [today's date].
“Illinois Salines (Great Salt Springs) | Salt Places to Visit.” The Salt Almanac. Last modified November 8, 2026. https://saltalmanac.com/places/illinois-salines.
Original sources
- Wikipedia. Illinois Salines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Salt_Spring