#dictionary day

No Words Were Wasted

October 16 marks the anniversary of the birth of Noah Webster, author of the iconic American dictionary.  To celebrate the dictionary, and all the words in it, we wanted to share with you a perhaps lesser-known term, “artesian well” that we often run into while working with records from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Artesian wells, also known as flowing wells, are groundwater wells that naturally flow to the surface without mechanical aids such as pumps or pulleys.  Mr. Webster’s book defines an artesian well as “a well in which water is under pressure, especially one in which the water flows to the surface naturally.” 

On August 18, 1894, Congress appropriated funds specifically "For gauging the streams and determining the water supply of the United States, including the investigation of underground currents and artesian wells in arid and semiarid regions." To conduct the work, a Hydrographic Division was created in the U.S. Geological Survey. With cooperation from the States, the newly created Division began hydrographic surveys in 1895.  The single page surveys distributed to residents asked questions about existing water use, depth of wells, machinery, and whether they are artesian.  The National Archives at Riverside holds these returned survey sheets for California.  

While the survey asked specific questions and most answers are short and to the point, the survey does allow a freeform final question on the reverse side to provide “any other facts which you deem of importance.” This blank page allowed many respondents to provide lengthy answers, newspaper clippings, and even business advertisements.  

Celebrate Dictionary Day!