According to Jim Bordwine, Appalachia has a salty past. On
August 18, Bordwine presented a workshop on salt making at
Marble Springs State Historic Site in South Knox. He hails from
Saltville, Va., a town of 2,000 near the Tri-Cities, where salt
production has fueled the local economy for more than two
centuries. Bordwine says his ancestors were involved in the
area's early salt industry. "I found out that my family has been
in this area since the 1770s, and several family members were
involved in the salt making," said Bordwine. A construction
worker by trade, Bordwine spends much of his free time
participating in reenactments and living history events. "I've
been doing living history and reenacting for 25 years now,"
Bordine said. "I've always loved history since I was a young
boy." After joining a living history group at a friend's
suggestion, Bordwine began to understand the historical
importance of the salt trade. "White settlers started coming
into southwest Virginia in the 1750s, but they didn't realiz