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Whiskey Island hides a giant below
Most people see Lake Erie and think about water, waves, and Cleveland’s skyline. But under that familiar view sits the Whiskey Island salt mine, a huge underground operation that helps keep roads safer across the Northeast and Great Lakes when winter gets rough.
The mine is tucked beneath the lake near downtown Cleveland and has been operating since the 1960s. Its scale surprises even locals because so much of it is hidden from sight, deep below the surface where miners work year-round.
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Cargill’s Lake Erie mine runs deep
Cargill owns the Whiskey Island mine, and it sits about 1,800 feet below ground under Lake Erie near downtown Cleveland. That depth makes the trip underground feel more like entering another world than visiting a typical industrial site.
Once miners head down, they enter a vast network of tunnels and chambers carved through ancient salt deposits. It is a place built for steady production, even when most people above have no idea how much activity is happening below them.
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The Whiskey Island mine is enormous
The Whiskey Island mine is often described as one of the world’s largest salt mines, and that is not just a dramatic line. AP reporting says the mine produces about 3 million to 4 million tons of salt each year, though that can still come up short in especially harsh winters…