South Hutchinson ? The Salt Memorial Marker that commemorates the 1887 discovery of salt in Reno County has been moved to the actual spot where it was found.

The state’s U.S. Highway 50 improvement project prompted the shutdown of the old marker site on the south side of the highway. The new site north of U.S. 50 is still under development.

New information plaques will be created for the marker location and a new 1,260-pound block of salt will be displayed under a case.

About $15,000 in Kansas Department of Transportation funds paid for the concrete pad and relocation, which included securing the right-of-way for the new marker site.

In 1887 suspected real estate swindler Ben Blanchard was hoping to strike oil along the Arkansas River to boost land prices, and instead drilled into a vein of salt.