The museum is built within one of the world's largest deposits of rock salt, formed 275 million years ago, and provides the opportunity to go 650 feet (200 m) beneath the Earth’s surface.

A vast expanse underground, the Hutchinson Salt Company mine covers about 980 acres (4.0 km2); if one were to consecutively line up each excavated area, the chamber would stretch for 150 miles (240 km).

Natural pillars of solid rock salt 40 feet (12 m) square are left intact to support each corridor or “room”.

Blasting breaks the salt into manageable pieces, which are conveyed to crushers and removed to the surface through the shaft with large buckets on the hoist.

Mrs. Maupin lived in the home originally built by one of the former mayors of Hutchinson, J.P. Harsha, for whom the large drainage canal on the outskirts of the city was named.

[4] By 1967, the society's collections outgrew the Harsha House and the Reno County Historical Museum was moved to nearby Haven, Kansas, a smaller community located 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Hutchinson.

Community leaders believed the museum would provide an anchor for downtown growth and the development of tourism in Haven.

Efforts to gain a tax base for support from the Reno County mill levy for the museum were unsuccessful, however.

By that time, the collection had grown to approximately 10,000 artifacts, some of which were lost or ruined due to the poor condition of the building and the lack of environmental control.

The board convened a site selection committee and began a development fund drive that ultimately led to the purchase of the Kline Insurance Building and the Rosemont Hotel.

Part of the funds were used to construct a link between the adjacent buildings and to establish the Borton Memorial Garden near the entrance to the museum.

[9] In 1998 and again in 2000, the RCHS received the prestigious General Operating Support grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington D.C.[10] In 1998 the RCHS began a long range planning process that resulted in the idea of creating a major exhibition about the salt industry in Reno County.

[11] Beginning in 1923, miners and visitors went underground in groups no larger than ten, as that was the maximum capacity of the singular elevator.

In this area, a Pleistocene aquifer known as the Equus Beds extends from the Ogallala and is about 130 feet (40 m) thick at the site of the museum.

A liquid nitrogen and salt brine solution pumped into the pipes brought the temperature down to freeze the aquifer.

Saltcrete does leach – emitting a fine dust of salt – until it is cured, which takes approximately one year.

Named for its manufacturer, the Joy Loader increased efficiency by eliminating the need to hand-load ore cars.

The shuttle featured in this gallery was also used from the 1940s until 1983 to take salt from the mine face to the loading station at the main rail line.

[2] The Fluid Inclusion Exhibit features what is claimed to be the world's oldest living organism, estimated to be about 250 million years old.

The supposed discovery of living bacteria found trapped inside a salt crystal is the work of Drs.

[21]) The three scientists were at the museum for the exhibit opening and collected salt samples from the Hutchinson mine for further research.

The company is internationally known for its highly protective, secured storage capabilities, including being home to the original camera negative of many movies, like Gone with the Wind and Ben Hur, as well as television show masters.

UV&S also stores medical records, oil and gas charts, and a host of other valuable documents and other materials from all 50 states and many foreign countries.