Marker Inscription
Important to Texas in waging the Civil War. Site of natural deposits of bat guano, worked in the 1860s to obtain the chief ingredient for gunpowder. Cave inhabited by bats, source of the guano, extends about 23 miles. One room in the great bat den is 585' x 325', and has a 45' ceiling. A narrow gauge railway with mule drawn cars was used in the digging. Corrals for the mules occupied one chamber of the cave. Putrefied and dried bat guano, mixed with smaller parts of sulphur and charcoal, gave firepower to Civil War guns. 1965
About this site
Saltpetre Mine, C.S.A. is a historical marker in Concan, Uvalde County, dedicated in 1965. It is one of 55 historical markers documented in Uvalde County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 82 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 29.5021, -99.7230 near Concan. The nearest cataloged historic site is Silver Mine Pass (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Concan Cemetery, Old Davenport Home, and Aldine Cemetery.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5463000600. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
