The Erie Canal at Syracuse – Salt sheds at Syracuse, NY in about 1900. Before modern refrigeration, salt was an essential commodity used to preserve food. It’s no accident that the original Erie Canal was routed south from Rome to Syracuse where salt was harvested on evaporating tables like these. Notice the slanting roofs that workers could slide to cover the tables when rain threatened.
Salt Sheds at Syracuse for evaporating salty water
Before the original Erie was completed in the fall of 1825, wheat was a major crop in Western and Central New York State. When the canal was up and running though, farmers began to add pork products to their operations. Hogs could be grown and processed year round. Also, salt hauled from Syracuse could preserve the meat for the trip down the Hudson River to New York City. Wheat production shifted west to Ohio and the Chicago area. Salt remained important for food preservation up to the time when ice or electric refrigeration on railroads made more sense. The video shows salt being used at the fish markets on the east side of Manhattan.