A few of the larger pieces of
Salt mined here.
I told the Staff Member selling tour tickets that Eric & I were happy to find parking spots long enough to park our motorhome and tow car. She told us that we are welcome to spend the night here, and Eric took her up on her hospitality.
The Hutchinson News article on
the first tours at Strataca in 2007
Strataca's 10th Anniversary
Display: Join the Adventure
The Museum hosts annual 5K and 10K Races. The Tour de Salt was held in October 2020.
The Event Space is used for Business Meetings. With no internet 650 feet below ground, the meetings should be very focused on the subjects presented. Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops overnight in the Mine and complete the requirements to earn their Mining Badges.
hoist for our subterranean
tour of Strataca.
Now defunct pieces of
We are asked for our names as we enter the hoist. The operator puts a checkmark next to our name on his list. We descend into the 68-degree mine.
Here we are 650 feet below ground.
The original mine used small
rail cars to move the mined Salt.
The coarsely ground Salt mined here is not refined. There's plenty of dirt in it. The "Rock Salt" is used on snowy, sleet-covered roads in the winter. Chicago, Illinois is the mine's largest customer.
equipment remain
underground.
Dynamite was used for many
That's a HUGE block
of Salt!
years to blast new sections
of the mine.
Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil
is used now.
We watched a video showing a wall drilled for explosives. Imagine three rows of drilled holes. The explosives have been placed in each hole and wired. The Explosives Crew moves to safety and the explosion is set off, starting at the bottom row. The middle row is blasted next and then the top row. A section of wall crumbles and Salt is ready can be mined.
This car was disassembled &
brought down to the mine to
transport staff along its miles
& miles of tunnels.
One of the mine's Front Loaders
We joined three other couples
aboard this miniature train for
the first part of our tour.
You can see the
layers of Salt
in the wall.
What goes down into the mine,
stays in the mine: A trash pile
boxes with a toilet seat.
How deep is the hole
beneath the toilet?
Mine space is rented out to
Underground Vaults & Storage
Movie Reels & Equipment are
stored in this dry, cool mine.
Movie memorabilia and costumes are also stored here.
George Clooney's Batman
costume from
Batman & Robin
I wonder what's stored in the boxes behind Batman.
Arnold Schwartzeneger's
Mr. Freeze costume from
Batman and Robin.
Old Computer Data Tapes
& the Equipment to read
them are kept here.
Information has its own
section.
We join Zoe on
Oil & Gas Data has its
are stored here.
a tram for this
part of the tour.
Large veins of Salt
We stop at a pile of mined Salt.
Zoe invites us to pick out
some Salt to take with us.
Eric chose this piece of Salt.
I filled a small cloth bag with
smaller pieces of Salt.
Our last stop...
... The Salt Cellar to buy
postcards & souvenirs.
Eric and I give our names to the Hoist Operator and we are brought to the surface. Here at Strataca, whoever goes into the mine comes out of the mine. If you find yourself in Central Kansas, stop in for a tour.
The School Bus will leave &
we will have the Visitor
Parking Lot to ourselves.
Tomorrow's drive will be one-half hour longer because of our stay at Strataca, Kansas' Underground Salt Mine Museum.
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