Nebraskaland

NEBRASKAland March 2015

NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.

Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/467533

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H ighway 2 through the Sandhills is one of Nebraska's most scenic drives. Deep in the Sandhills lakes country, near the tiny town of Antioch, stand desolate, oddly- shaped concrete ruins visible from the highway – as if Antioch had once been a much larger city, or home to some inexplicably large enterprise. And that's pretty much what happened during World War I when Antioch became a potash boomtown. Potash is a potassium compound that was used as a fertilizer additive, especially in the Cotton Belt. It was also used to manufacture various products such as glass and soap. Before World War I, the United States imported most of its potash from Germany. Normally it sold for $8 to $10 a ton, but during the war, the price soared to more than $150 a ton. When alkaline lakes in the Sandhills were discovered to have potash, a new industry was soon underway, resulting in the construction of 10 huge plants that could each produce 100 tons of potash per day. The lakes were on state-owned school land that was leased to a private company, and rumors spread of favoritism and dirty dealing. The Nebraska state land commissioner and the secretary of state responded with a press release in which they stated that they would tolerate no delays in the project because "our country needs the product for munitions." That was false – potash wasn't used in munitions – but the story was widely believed and tended to shield the project from criticism. ("So much for patriotism," complained the Alliance Semi-Weekly Times after debunking the press release.) In true boomtown fashion, the Sandhills potash industry rose and fell quickly. Various companies struggled for control of the industry, but the war's end re-opened the import market and the Nebraska plants were soon priced out of business. Their ruins stand as a testimony to the wide-ranging and unpredictable effects of war and international commerce. Look for a historical marker along Highway 2 just west of Antioch. There you can pull off the road and observe the ruins to the north of the highway. From there, if you're heading west, it's only 15 more miles to Alliance. ■ The ruins of the potash plant at the former town of Hoffland, Sheridan County, Nebraska, July 9, 1955. Antioch became a potash boomtown during World War I as seen by this July, 1917 image by Van Graven Alliance. A Brief History The Ruins Along Highway 2 10 NEBRASKAland • MARCH 2015 By David Bristow, Nebraska State Historical Society NSHS RG2541-6-31 NSHS RG2541-1-7

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