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Did You Know...
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Did You Know…
That the term “Petered Out” came from the saltpeter mining industry collapsing in 1815?
Before 1812, the United States bought gunpowder from overseas. When the War of 1812 broke out, trading with England was no longer possible so the United States had to make its own. Saltpeter is an ingredient in gunpowder so the saltpeter mining industry flourished in the United States. While the war actually ended in 1814, it took until 1815 for the treaty to make its way to the United States and for the battles to stop. In 1815, the United States once again began buying gunpowder from overseas and the saltpeter mining industry rapidly declined, or “petered out.”
In 1812, Mammoth Cave, in Kentucky, was a saltpeter mine. As you walk through Mammoth Cave National Park, you can see what is left of these mines. When the mining industry collapsed in 1815, the owners of Mammoth Cave were in a quandary about how to make money on their mammoth investment. 1815 was the birth of tours through Mammoth Cave. It became a National Park in the 1940s and thousands of visitors each year now enjoy the largest cave in the world. They are still exploring it and mapping around 2 addional miles each year.
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