Ballard Expands and Finds Fresh Water
The City of Ballard reorganizes into three wards and celebrates the discovery of a high-yield artesian well.
The city council of Ballard on Tuesday night ordered the city attorney to draw up an ordinance dividing the city into three wards. Mayor Matthew Dow reported that a test of the artesian well was commenced at 12 o'clock on Tuesday; that a number of tests had been made and that the centrifugal pump averaged about fifty gallons every 45 seconds. This would give about 102,000 gallons every twenty-four hours. The water is pure and cool and pleasant to drink. The council will have an analysis made at once.
“The water is pure and cool and pleasant to drink.”
Before its annexation into Seattle in 1907, Ballard was a fiercely independent city. This report captures the moment of its civic maturation, as it formalizes its political structure and secures the essential infrastructure—water—that would support its growth as a maritime and industrial hub.
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