Rock salt mining in the Genesee Valley began in 1884 at Retsof, New York, with the building of Empire Salt Company, which became Retsof Mining Company in 1885. Sterling Mining Company was built in 1890 at Cuylerville, New York, and Gray Mining Company was built in 1895 at Greigsville, New York. International Salt Company was built at Retsof between 1920 and 1923 and at that time was the most modern salt company in the world. In 1901, International Salt Company purchased Retsof Mining Company, Gray Mining Company, Sterling Mining Company, LeRoy Mining Company, and Livonia Mining Company, and they were all eventually shut down in 1923 when International Salt Company's Fuller Shaft was in full operation at Retsof. International Salt Company connected Gray Mining Company, Retsof Mining Company, and Sterling Mining Company underground, creating an area larger than Manhattan Island. The Retsof mine, the largest salt mine in the United States, produced 134 million tons of salt over the years before closing in 1995 after a water leak claimed it. Its workforce included five generations of miners, and the miners named here lost their lives over a period of 110 years. In January 1997, Joseph Bucci Sr., Gunther Buerman, Neil Cohen, and Charles VanArsdale entered into an asset purchase agreement with Akzo Nobel Salt Inc to replace the Retsof mine. Construction of the American Rock Salt Co Mine at Hamptons Corners began on Nov 1, 1998 and was completed on Dec 14, 2001. The American Rock Salt mine is the largest producing salt mine in the United States.