important ,hroughout the colonial period because it was the center of what we know today as the uruguay confederacy. -- iroquois confederacy. there were various missionaries, explorers, soldiers coming into this area. they were the first to notice the salt brine as far as europeans. the significance of salt brining around the lake was noted very early on during the colonial period. it did not get a chance to be exploited until after the american revolution, when a variety of different treaties concentrated local native people to territory south of the lake. the state took ownership of the shore around the lake, so that it could be developed commercially for salt production. the state-controlled the land, they controlled the sources of brine through the drilling of ells and so forth. manufacturing was actually in the hands of private individuals. it started into the early 19th century. the biggest problem they had was transportation, getting this out to market. it would eventually lead to the completion and construction of the canal. the people who were involved in salt manufacturing here in the syr

period because it was the center of the uruguay -- iroquois confederacy. these soldiers were the first to notice the salt mines, and that was noted from very early on in the colonial period. it did not get a chance to be commercially exploited until really after the american revolution. a variety of treaties concentrated the land to territories south of the lake. the state took ownership of the shore around the lake so that it could be developed commercially forestalled production -- for salt production. the state-controlled the land ,hrough the drilling of wells but that manufacturing was actually in the hands of private individuals. it started in the 1790's and into the early 19th century. the biggest problem that they had was transportation, getting it out to market. it would eventually lead to the completion and construction of the erie canal, salt being a major driver of that. the people who were involved canals existed, they were in britain and other places. they realized the canal would be a real boon to the salt industry. a man named joshua foreman