The Desert Town That Finally Found a Well
For years, the residents of Port Townsend relied entirely on collected rain for drinking water, fearing the earth held nothing but salt.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The people of Port Townsend have, from the earliest settlement of the town, ignored water as a beverage, and used only rain water for domestic purposes, under the impression that there was no fresh water to be had by digging wells in or about the town. Dodd Pugh, of the Central Hotel, lately sunk a pipe at the foot of the bluff to the depth of 21 feet and struck a vein of fresh water, entirely void of brackishness, affording an ample supply for their hotel. It is the first time in the history of the town that any citizen of the place ever thought of looking for fresh water.
“It is the first time in the history of the town that any citizen of the place ever thought of looking for fresh water.”
Port Townsend's long struggle with its water supply highlights the vulnerability of early Washington coastal settlements. Today, while the town enjoys a modern municipal system, this story resonates with current regional anxieties over groundwater depletion and the increasing pressure on infrastructure to support a growing population.
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