K1 was Saskatchewan’s first successful potash mine to go into production in 1962. Five years later, the K2 mine shaft was sunk, and the two mine shafts combined would operate locally near Esterhazy for more than half a century, bringing millions of tonnes of potash ore to the surface. Courtesy of Mosaic

Mosaic’s Esterhazy potash mining complex in southeastern Saskatchewan boasts many firsts. In 1962, its K1 project was the first successful potash mine built in the province—today, Saskatchewan’s potash mining industry is one of the world’s top producers of the fertilizer critical to modern farming.