Salt

Salt is one of the most overlooked preparedness supplies because it feels ordinary. Yet common table salt has been a critical survival resource for thousands of years. It preserves food, supports health, enables basic sanitation, and even plays a role in emergency medical care. For preppers, salt is cheap, stable, compact, and incredibly versatile.

Food Preservation

Salt’s most well-known role is food preservation. It inhibits bacterial growth by drawing moisture out of food.

Curing meat: Dry rubs or brines extend shelf life for pork, beef, and game.
Brining: Saltwater solutions preserve vegetables and improve texture.
Fermentation support: Sauerkraut, pickles, and kimchi rely on salt to encourage beneficial bacteria.

Health and Nutrition

Salt is essential for human survival. In emergency conditions, maintaining electrolyte balance becomes critical.

Electrolyte replacement: Salt mixed with clean water and a small amount of sugar can help prevent dehydration.
Heat exhaustion support: Salt helps replace what is lost through heavy sweating.
Livestock needs: Animals require salt for health and digestion.

Medical and First Aid Uses

While not a replacement for modern medicine, salt has practical emergency applications.

Wound cleaning: A mild saltwater solution can help flush debris.
Sore throat relief: Saltwater gargles reduce irritation.
Nasal rinse: Saline solutions can help clear dust and allergens.

Sanitation and Cleaning

Salt’s abrasive and antibacterial properties make it useful when modern cleaners are unavailable.

Scrubbing: Acts as a mild abrasive for cookware.
Odor control: Absorbs smells in containers and coolers.
Mold control: Salt can reduce moisture in small enclosed spaces.

Household and Utility Uses

Salt supports everyday functions that become critical during outages.

Food flavoring: Maintains morale and appetite during extended events.
Ice control: Helps melt ice on walkways and steps.
Fire suppression: Can smother small grease fires.

In the Great Plains, salt supports preparedness for heat waves, winter storms, and extended supply

disruptions. Hot summers increase electrolyte loss, while icy winters make salt valuable for safety and sanitation. Livestock owners benefit from having surplus salt blocks or loose salt on hand.

Where to find salt naturally in the Great Plains

Here are natural salt sources found across the Great Plains, grouped by type and location. These are places where salt occurs without modern industrial processing—historically important and prepper-relevant.

🌊 Salt Flats & Salt Plains

Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge — Surface salt crystals form naturally; one of the most visible salt deposits in the Plains.
Bonneville Salt Flats — Western edge of the broader Plains influence; ancient inland sea remnants.
Little Salt Plains — Smaller but geologically similar to the Salt Plains Refuge.

💧 Salt Springs & Saline Seeps

Salt Creek — Naturally saline water; early settlers extracted salt here.
Great Salt Plains — Numerous saline springs feeding surface deposits.
Saline River — Named for naturally salty water from underground formations.

🪨 Underground Rock Salt Deposits

Hutchinson Salt Member — Massive underground rock salt layer; one of the largest in North America.
Lyons Salt Mine — Historic salt mining tied to Permian seabeds.
Permian Basin — Ancient seabed responsible for widespread salt layers under KS, OK, TX, NM.

🌱 Alkali Flats & Saline Soils

Alkali Flats — High soil salinity; salt rises to the surface during dry periods.
Platte River Valley — Saline wetlands and soils.
Smoky Hill River Basin — Salt contamination from natural geologic sources.

🦬 Historical & Indigenous Salt Sites

Big Bone Lick — Not Plains proper, but an important comparison site used by Native tribes and early settlers.
Many Plains tribes (including Pawnee, Wichita, and Osage) harvested salt from springs, flats, and evaporated pools long before European settlement.

Salt in the Plains usually appears as brine, crusts, or underground rock, not clean table salt. Extraction requires evaporation, filtering, and testing—this is knowledge prep, not casual scavenging. These locations matter most for historical understanding, last-ditch scenarios, and education, not routine supply.

Quick Action Checklist

Store at least 10–20 pounds of plain salt per household.
Choose iodized salt for nutrition; non-iodized for curing.
Keep salt dry and sealed.
Learn basic brining and curing techniques.

Salt may not look impressive on a gear shelf, but its usefulness spans food, health, sanitation, and safety. Few preparedness supplies offer more value per dollar or last as long with so little maintenance.

Prepper on the Plains

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The many uses of salt