First Irrigation Well in Lamb County
Earth, Lamb County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Dug by hand in 1902 for crops, cattle, and household use of Ewing Halsell (1877-1965), son of land promoter and settler W. E. Halsell. An irrigation ditch carried water half a mile to headquarters of Halsell's "Mashed O" Ranch. Six feet in diameter but only 30 feet deep, well is no longer in operation. (1972)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1902, ranch hands dug this well by hand to water the crops, cattle, and household of Ewing Halsell, son of land promoter W. E. Halsell. Only thirty feet deep but six feet across, it fed an irrigation ditch that carried water half a mile to the headquarters of the "Mashed O" Ranch on the dry Texas high plains. It marks one of the first attempts to irrigate this arid corner of Lamb County.
Why it matters
The well captures the ingenuity of early ranchers turning the semi-arid Llano Estacado into productive land, a small beginning to the irrigation that would transform West Texas agriculture.
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Related people
- · Ewing Halsell
- · W. E. Halsell
Themes & tags
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