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The most peculiar spring in Texas is saltier than the Dead Sea and deeper than anybody knows. 1/7 https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/how-salt-shaped-texas/
The Estelline Salt Springs fills a pool in the Texas Panhandle. It's a perfect circle, shimmering green, ringed by a white salt crust. 2/7 https://goo.gl/maps/vYEnFSHaVsuuZK1L6
Here's where the story takes a strange turn ... In 1962, a new species of saltwater crab was discovered right there in the Estelline spring. We're talking about marine creatures thriving in the Texas Panhandle, nearly 500 miles from the sea! 3/7
https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/how-salt-shaped-texas/
https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/how-salt-shaped-texas/
I found out about the Panhandle crabs while exploring a region of Texas known as the Big Empty (a k a the Rolling Plains). I'd never even heard of that part of the state, and now I love it. Had to save the crabs for their own story, though. 4/7 https://texashighways.com/travel/the-big-empty-texas-panhandle-region-caprock-canyons-copper-breaks/
What ultimately happened to the Panhandle crabs was pretty sad. I never got to see the Estelline spring, either (at least not, um, in a work capacity). However, I did check out this other weird reservoir in the area called the Truscott Brine Lake. Look at all that salt! 5/7
I'd be remiss if I didn't cite as inspiration Mark Kurlansky's book Salt: A World History. It's a fascinating read. Hell, you could probably write a book about all the salt here in Texas. 6/7 https://amzn.to/31faP8I
Salt is the “oldest and most continuously produced commercial mineral” in Texas. It helped shape the state's history, fueled ambitions and thwarted dreams. And you can find salt all over Texas, if you know where to look. 7/7 https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/how-salt-shaped-texas/
