Santa Fe Railroad Hand Dug Well - Roadside Attractions on Waymarking.com

This old well is the only remnant of a once busy Santa Fe Railroad of the Great Bend Division in western Kansas located in Selkirk, Kansas. The well is just north of the railroad tracks and the grain elevators. The hand-dug well has been beautifully preserved, being over 110 years old. It is 24 feet in diameter and 102 feet deep, rock lined, and strange as it seems, they laid the rock from the top to bottom as they went down. It took forty-six (46) train car-loads of stone, nine (9) car-loads of lumber for the curbing, and five (5) car-loads of cement. There was 48,000 cubic feet of dirt removed from the well. This dirt was hauled on the train cars back to Ness City to be stock piled there, as dirt was a precious commodity. It was used for laying the railroad beds, etc. Out in western Kansas at that time, the buffalo grass grew like hair on a dog’s back. It was thick and rooted down as it grew along, making it almost matted. The settlers that came to farm had to use their teams and a special implement to dig up this buffalo grass. Many of them used this sod to build their homes and other buildings on their farmsteads. The only bare ground was where the farmers had plowed.
The water from this hand-dug well had many uses. First and foremost it was used for the steam for the engines, then also to supply water for the stationary boilers, wash train cars and floors, clean out the boilers, cooling ashes, fire protection, and many similar purposes at the shops, engine house, and the station buildings. The citizens of the town of Selkirk were also furnished water at the cost only of the fuel necessary to running the apparatus, which was as liberal as could be asked.

This hand dug well is being restored and preserved by the Wichita County Historical Society. Be sure and visit the Museum of the Great Plains in Leoti, Kansas about 10 miles west. Be sure and sign the visitors log in the mail box while you are there.

Price of Admission: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Roadside Attractions Website: [Web Link] Weekday Hours: Not listed Weekend Hours: Not listed Location Website: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
When posting a new log for a waymark, please include a picture if there isn't one included on the original posting. Add your thoughts about the roadside attraction and let everyone know if it is worth while stopping to see.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   01/08/2011 azswade visited it 06/17/2006 Jake39 wrote comment for it 06/04/2003 RoundAmerica.com visited it

View all visits/logs