| Marker Number |
1732 |
| Atlas Number |
5017001732 |
| Marker Title |
First Irrigation Well in Bailey County |
| Index Entry |
|
| Address |
FM 1760 |
| City |
Muleshoe vicinity |
| County |
Bailey |
| UTM Zone |
13 |
| UTM Easting |
696789 |
| UTM Northing |
3791267 |
| Subject Codes |
agriculture, general; water topics |
| Marker Year |
1972 |
| Recorded Texas Historic Landmark |
No |
| Marker Location |
West of Muleshoe, at southeast corner of FM 1760 and CR 103. Marker reported missing Jun. 2017. |
| Private Property |
No |
| Marker Condition |
Missing |
| Marker Size |
18" x 28" |
| Marker Text |
500 Yards South to Site of First Irrigation Well in Bailey County Dug by hand in 1909 on farm of Willard Burns. A pit well (large enough for workmen to enter), it measured 6 by 10 feet across and 15 feet deep. A 10-inch centrifugal pump removed 1,000 gallons of water per minute. Upon its completion, settlers from miles around gathered to hold a "water carnival", which became a local custom whenever wells were dug. Hundreds of such wells made agriculture profitable in this low rainfall area. Well and pump were abandoned when turbine pumps came into use, 1920s. No signs of it remain. (1972) |
