I’m captivated by artesian wells. I’ve scoured newspaper archives, engaged with experts, and consulted official state resources to find as many as I can. Specialized sources abound online, but sometimes a simple Google search is all it takes to find new information. Last December, one led me to uncover three in a Madison County campground! Unfortunately, I discovered that winter is the worst time to find flowing wells.
Continue reading “Three artesian wells at Chesterfield’s RV Resort”
It’s ironic that flowing wells, remnants from the gas boom era, are making headlines more than a century after they fell into obscurity. Unfortunately, I’m not sure that’s a good thing: on Thursday, the Anderson Herald Bulletin published an article titled “Agencies grapple with location, plugging abandoned wells.” I got asked to be interviewed for the story.
Continue reading “Flowing wells are in the news”
It’s been four years since I learned about two flowing wells near Middletown, Indiana. I posted about them in June, and a variation of “Cunningham’s Law” led me to a third just a thousand feet away from the first. A Facebook friend reminded me about it during those dreary days after Christmas, and I finally decided to go out and see it.
Continue reading “A third flowing well near Middletown, Indiana”
I’ve been hunting flowing wells across East-Central Indiana for a while now. The allure of the unknown, an adrenaline rush, and the sense of accomplishment I get once I find one turn my mundane trips into alluring adventures! I found five in Richmond’s Glen Miller Park in July, and my most recent exploit took me back to the Rose City in search of another at Springwood Park.
Continue reading “Richmond’s forgotten Springwood Park spring”
Despite its unconventional name, Glen Miller Park in Richmond has nothing to do with the famous bandleader who spelled his name with two Ns. Sometime after the civil war, Col. John F. Miller purchased a glen, or valley, to turn into a park. Miller sold the property to the city of Richmond in 18851. Although the place is home to fascinating history, I went there specifically for its artesian wells, known around Richmond as “springs.”
Continue reading “Five springs at Richmond’s Glen Miller Park”
Aside from occasional digging or a ride in a golf cart, my trips to flowing wells are usually pretty sedate. I roll up, hop out, take a picture, and, usually, take a swig! That said, it was a different experience tracking down two wells just east of Perkinsville in western Madison County last week: the trek involved traversing abandoned roads, blazing a path through the forest, and wrangling a Gator down a fifty-foot slope to the White River’s banks.
Continue reading “Two hidden artesian wells near Perkinsville in Madison County”
My posts sometimes serve as distress flares I fire off to social media when I’m looking for more information about a topic. I recently shared one about two flowing wells near Yorktown, hoping someone would pipe up and tell me about one I’d heard existed near West Muncie and Gas Lake. Last week, someone did, even inviting me to come out and it in her backyard. Mission accomplished!
Continue reading “Yorktown’s Skillen-Gooden artesian well”
Whether it’s the sound of a babbling brook or the sight of waves crashing on a shoreline, the presence of flowing water can calm the mind and provide a sense of peace. It does for me, at least, but brooks and waves aren’t common around these parts. That’s why I love artesian wells! In addition to all the others I’ve talked about, I’ve been to two in northeastern Henry County, Indiana that sit about three miles apart.
Continue reading “Two flowing wells in northwestern Henry County”
Artesian wells require a specific set of topographical requirements to flow without a pump. Because of that, the banks of streams make perfect places for them! I know of three flowing wells in the High Banks area between Yorktown and Daleville in rural Mt. Pleasant Township, and I’ve been to two of them.
Continue reading “Two flowing wells at High Banks near Yorktown”
I wrote about a pair of artesian wells in Madison County a few Saturdays ago and headed to Mounds State Park to take photos and video of two more I knew of the day after. I found another the following Monday and another on Tuesday. When it rains, it pours! I love artesian wells, but my hobby of finding them was dormant until the past couple of weeks. Today, I’ll show you the two I uncovered -one literally- in northern Madison County, along with where I think a third one used to sit.
Continue reading “Two more flowing wells in rural Madison County”
Ted Shideler 