the onondaga salt springs reservation was a tract of land designated by the state legislature in 1797 around a natural salt spring for the commercialization of salt production in salina on the shores of onondaga lake. production began around 1789; salt was made by boiling the brine of the water. in 1798, sanger, asa danforth, and about a half-dozen other investors formed the "federal company", which increased production by building the first permanent building at the site for salt manufacture, building a new and bigger well, and starting a large-scale operation of 32 kettles for producing salt. this company was the largest producer at the time. sanger sold his interest in the company after two years.