Irrigation Well in Bailey County

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)

Irrigation Well in Bailey County is a historical marker in Muleshoe vicinity, Bailey County, dedicated in 1972. It is one of 10 historical markers documented in Bailey County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 13 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 34.2438, -102.8629 near Muleshoe vicinity. The nearest cataloged historic site is Harden A. Douglass (historical marker), about 6.3 miles away. Others within a short drive include Bailey County, Bailey County Courthouse, and The Founding of Bailey County.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5017001732. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.