 |
 |
|
The history of Gunther Salt began at the turn of the century, when two brothers, Beverly and Frank Myles, sank a shaft for the purpose of mining
salt on Weeks Island, Louisiana. When the salt mine was ready for production, the Myles brothers entered into an agreement with Henry Mun, head of
the H.M. Mun & Co. brokerage firm, to begin marketing Louisiana rock salt.
At about this time, Joseph J. Gunther became a partner in H.M. Mun & Co. This association eventually resulted in Gunther acquiring Mun's interest
in the company. Soon, the name of the company was changed to Gunther Mercantile and eventually to Gunther Salt Company (at which time salt became the
sole product). Gunther Salt became the first firm to sell Louisiana crushed rock salt from a St. Louis base.
A booth at the 1904 World's Fair introduced visitors to the purity and clarity of Louisiana crushed rock salt. One of the major uses of this
product during the early 1900's was in producing brine for making ice. The brine was needed to maintain low temperatures for refrigeration purposes.
The later development of mechanical refrigeration caused a gradual decline in the usage of salt for this purpose; however, the emerging demand for
water softeners, which require salt for mineral regeneration, opened up a whole new market.
In 1934, Gunther began shipping salt from Louisiana by water. A primary screened grade of salt called "mine run" was loaded into small, shallow,
draft barges owned by the Coyle Barge Line at Weeks Island and moved through a narrow intercoastal waterway to New Orleans. From there the salt was
transferred across the river to the Federal Barge Line in Algiers, Louisiana, and transported up-river to a terminal in St. Louis at the foot of
North Market Street which is still in operation today. The salt was then unloaded from the barges into railroad cars and taken to the Gunther
warehouse.
|
MAIN OFFICE
101 Buchanan Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63147
Phone: 314‑241‑7075
Toll-Free: 1‑800‑873‑7258
Fax: 314‑241‑1725
E-Mail: info@gunthersalt.com
|
