The Salt Man

As a fan of historical fiction based on true events, this novel captivated me.

Barbara Haworth-Attard, winner of Arthur Ellis Award

Anne Kay has written a well-researched volume on one of the most important, yet largely forgotten periods of Southwestern Ontario’s economic and social development: the nineteenth Salt Boom. Kay has crafted a vividly written account of the oil and salt industries centred around the life of Peter McEwan—a fascinating, colourful character and one of the foremost figures involved in these businesses.  General readers and more learned types with an interest in the area will enjoy this fast-paced book. The Salt Man is a wonderful contribution to our region’s history.

David Yates, author of ‘Out of the Woods and Out of the Blue,’ and winner of the Governor General’s Award for Community History Programming

Two fascinating but little-known histories from Ontario in the 1860s are the scaffolding of this novel of a young man’s adventures and discoveries, based on the life of the author’s great-great-grandfather, Peter McEwan. His adventures begin when he heads for the Southwestern Ontario village of Oil Springs, one hour southwest of London, where oil was first produced, refined, and sold as illuminating oil for lamps in 1858. It was a first in North America.

With vivid characters, The Salt Man captures the oil frenzy of 1862 when Canada’s first gusher was struck. The quest for oil later takes McEwan to Goderich, where he discovers the first rock salt in Canada. Swept up in the tale of the adventures, the reader absorbs the true historical facts, carefully researched for accuracy in a truly transformative time.

Patricia McGee, author of ‘The Story of Fairbank Oil, Four Generations of the Family Producing Oil Longer Than Anyone in the World’

In her novel The Salt Man, Anne Kay unearths the fascinating tale of the early days of the oil industry in Oil Springs and Goderich’s famed salt industry with her sensitive portrayal of the McEwan family and their struggle to succeed in 19th-century Southwestern Ontario.

Ian Gillespie – journalist, writer and podcast host

An interesting, well researched historical novel based on the author’s ancestry, that brings to life a fascinating part of Ontario history.

Barbara Haworth-Attard, winner of Author Ellis Award

The Salt Man is a fascinating tale based on Peter McEwan’s quest for adventure in Southwestern Ontario. Admirably researched and written by his great-great-granddaughter, The Salt Man traces McEwan’s journey from his humble beginnings in Carmunnock, Scotland as an eleven-year-old blacksmith’s son to his heady days as a key figure in the oil drilling industry, and the discovery of salt in Goderich and beyond. A must-read for anyone interested in Ontario history in the 1800s, or in the discovery and production of oil and salt.

Howard Pell, author of Lives Lived and award-winning poet