We have 3 water wells on the homestead. One of them, (deep well) we drilled when we got here and the other two wells were dug back in the 1800's. It's amazing when you think about it that something built by hand from raw materials of earth and rock could still be functional and useful today.
Most of the water we use is from rain catchment and we have the holding capacity of over 5000 gallons now on the homestead. But at certain times like when our tanks are frozen, we need to go to our hand dug wells and bring out water by bucket the way it was done over 150 years ago. The hand dug well never freezes.
So you have probably seen the well above in our posts before. The homestead well house was recently posted about by @hansjurgen Be sure to follow his page for other great information from the homestead.
The lesser known well we have on the homestead is down the mountain on the property. It's grown over and sort of in disrepair. The well also never goes dry and always seems to have water in it. It too is part of a spring system that our ponds and other wells are attached to underground. It was my goal this winter to clear it out and clean up the briers and brush surrounding it before spring.
So that is what I started on yesterday. I brought down the chain saw, clippers, shovel and a rake. It appears that the well was built up at some point with cinder blocks and whoever did that didn't do a very good job because there are pieces of block all over the place.
It also appears that most of this well was caved in at some point. The well still always has water but doesn't go very deep. Just west of the well is a main water line that was buried years ago and that may have attributed to the cave in of the well.
After clipping back the briers and thorns, I pulled them out of the way and that cleared up the site tremendously.
Then I used the rake to pull out a lot of the debris and muck that I could reach in the well. I pulled a lot of the brick around the surrounding area and kinda placed it back as a wall on the one side that looked pulled down.
It didn't take me long to have the site looking much better and presentable and easy to get to from the road.
THE HISTORY
(I bet my road is older than your road)
When we moved here, a friend in the area told us that that the well was over 100 years old and that the road it was next to was used by travelers on horseback and wagon. They would use the well to water their horses and stop to rest. Another neighbor whom we buy our milk from told us that she just always remembered that the well was there and that people in the area used it all the time when they needed water.
Imagine the history at this site. It makes me wonder who built it and what their lives were like in this remote place 150 years ago. Think about the kind of conversations by the travelers that could have taken place by this well so long ago. Where were they going and where did they come from? To me, it's all so fascinating.
The Search
With all the foot, wagon and horse traffic this remote well may have seen for passing travelers, the opportunity for a good metal detecting spot is possible. I've always been interested in metal detecting and eventually going over the land searching for any dropped silver or copper coins. There are actually a number of good locations in the area like an old church that has stood for as long as this well has been here too. It was the gathering place for families who lived on this mountain 100 years ago.
That will be another post and I'll keep you updated when that process starts. But the clearing of the well site has been on my list of "things to do" for quite some time.
See you next time on the homestead.
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I'll take your bet on the road. Our town was founded in 1670 and this land has been farmed all that time, so this road is very old!
When we moved here we were the first house on the road to NOT have a well. I've been of 2 minds about that since then. As I said, this has been agricultural land for centuries, mostly tobacco and corn. While I'd like the independence of a well, I'm afraid of what chemicals would be in it.
LOL ok, you win!
It's amazing how DEEP some of those hand dug wells were.
I've often asked myself if I would ever dig one. Only if I really had to.
you got it easy where you are (except for the rocks)
on the Llano Estacado you don't reach water until AT LEAST 100 ft.
most places deeper.
my son's place is 240 ft.
Imagine digging that by hand.
Yes definitely that road is very old. How many generations walked that way only God knows! It is amazing to follow their foot steps :)
It is nice to have fresh water nearby. It became like diamonds these days :(
Lovely Photos!
Having water on a homestead should be priority number one. Thanks for the comment!
Now that is just awesome getting it all back into use...
One of the things I found so interesting in my many years of being a researcher is just the amount of miles folks traveled without a car!
We think in terms of days for vacation and they did months!
Not unusual for them to pack up the farm and go to another state for a year or so and then go back home.
Looking forward to seeing all the goodies the earth has held in place for the metal detecting (wonder how many pieces of civil war stuff you will find).
There were a few battles fought in the surrounding area but I've never heard about any troop movements through this area. But you never know!
Wonderful to have so much history right in your yard, so to speak. And so much water available! What a great place for a homestead
Yeah, I'm really looking forward to doing some metal detecting. It's like digging up that history. Now if only I could find the time.
Metal detecting...seems like a good post for @thehomeschoolkid
He's found a few artifacts already...nothing too spectacular but he keeps on looking.
We'll be on the look out for another metal detecting post!
When you first showed this well, I thought it would be nice to clean it up and get it usable again. Glad you found the time to do it! It looks much better! Now to look more authentic, you need to hang a tin cup close by for people to drink from.
LOL, that's a great idea!
Maybe even a bucket with a dipper, LOL. But I Love what you did here!
Pretty interesting post @mericanhomestead. I bet you can find some nice silver coins. It would be amazing if you just can find something. Maybe you can add a sign stating the history of the well.
That might be a good idea!
Wow, that was hard work! But so satisfying. It would be so fun to get your hands on a metal detector. You would probably be surprised at what you would find. Looking forward to the next installment!
THANKS!
Your well looks like it is full of water. Good now for the livestock, not sure about human consumption unless you need all the added minerals and probable protien...
It should settle out. Having another well is a nice backup. I am jealous, I have to drill, but there is a lake a half mile away, so the drilling can be shallow.
Now I am jealous. Because we are 600 meters from the ocean. too shallow means we get Brackish water. We have been told by a well expert that there are artesian waters but we would have to drill more than 500 feet throuh rock. At $100 per foot (his price) I think it a might pricey...
The rainwater catchment they use at an American homestead is very effective, copy it. If they put a tank in their crawlspace under the house too, they could use it in the winter without worry about freezing. My lake is not ocean size, but it is hydroelectric so it won't go dry. The neighbors wells are 80 ft to water, and with the sandy loam, the water flows well (pun intended).
The ocean is a great heatsink, you should use it for heat and cool. You could save a fortune! You can beat me on fishing, that's for sure, LOL.
I use a water catchment system similar to @mericanhomesead but are a little different here. We have about 7 months of dry season, really hot, windy and not one drop of rain. We have no snow (tropics) therefore have no freezing problems. W use no heating or cooling systems since we are on a hill and have ocean breezes every day. Been thinking about how to use the ocean to provide electricity.
Fresh ocaen fish is pretty darned tasty. Pargo Rojo is our favourite. I think that is Red Snapper in English.
That is a long gap in rain! If you get enough sun, a solar still of the ocean water might work. They use salt here to chlorinate swimming pools, by applying power and breaking down the salt. They recover the sodium, and resell it (I think), and run the chlorine into the pool. I think, if you out gas the chlorine up on the hill top, you could get fresh water from sea water the same way. Solar panels might provide you with the power. I have seen some good ways of using waves and tides to make power. On top of a hill, you might look at wind power too.
I bet those fish are good, I hear that Red Fish are yummy! We have Bass (Stripers, Sand, Large mouths, and Small mouths) in the lake along with catfish and padlefish; so it can be fun here too! Once there, I plan to raise Tilapia in an aquaponics system. They should be easy to catch, LOL!
Like shooting fish in a barrel! LOL
This is really amazing ! Is there enough clean water inside the well too?
Yes, metal detecting.
Natural spring water is in high demand these days. You should have the water tested and sent to the bottled water association. But then again if it is a value then the government can just walk in and take the water under some executive order. LOL
Really cool post!! I totally agree with you on how fascinating all the history is. It would be awesome to find some older folks who have lived in your area for decades. I'm sure they would have some awesome stories to tell.