From Highway two one can see the remains of one of the potash plants that predominated the area during WWI. Just to the east are foundations of the other four Antioch plants that once extracted potash from nearby alkaline lakes. Additional plants were located at Hoffland (4 miles west) and Lakeside (8 miles east).
From The Great WWI Potash Industry of Southern Sheridan County, Nebraska by Clint Andersen:
Antioch was to become the largest and most important of the potash towns primarily because of its location. Its newspaper, The Antioch News, proudly proclaimed, “Published in the heart of the great potash fields of Western Nebraska.” — The instant success of the potash industry had a huge effect on the area. In less than three years, Antioch’s population ballooned from 175 to between 1,600 and 3,000 people. Capital investment in southern Sheridan County was estimated at $25 million, and over 2,000 men were employed in the potash district at an average wage of $8 per day.
Picture taken June 28, 2015 by Jack Andersen