Avery Island is one of five heavily developed domes in a row near New Iberia, Louisiana. Its first salt mines date back to 1862, making it possibly the first salt dome mined for salt in the USA. Cargill still operates a major mine here, extracting 2.5 million tons per year, mostly for use as road salt. The dome is more famous as the source of Tabasco Sauce, which is still produced and bottled here. The company was founded by the Mcllhenny family, and this is still their estate, with several private homes on the grounds in addition to publicly accessible gardens, and the Tabasco plant factory tour. This is also where Robert Flaherty’s film Louisiana Story, commissioned by Standard Oil, was filmed.
