Soda Lake is the remnant of a prehistoric sea and one of the largest undisturbed alkali wetlands in the state, covering 3,000 acres and providing important habitat for migratory birds. Because it has no outlet, its water evaporates and leaves a glistening expanse of sodium sulfate and carbonate salts that appear to ripple and sway in summer heat waves. In the 1880s, its saline deposits were mined for use at nearby cattle ranches as salt licks or for preserving meat. Prior to 1908, the Carrisa Chemical Company built a processing plant with a capacity of 600 tons per month to recover sodium sulfate for use primarily in making craft paper, detergents, and glass, and also built a narrow-gauge railroad from the lake to the base of the Temblor Mountains. Mineral production ended in the 1950s, and the railroad was removed.