Statewide County, SD History - Books .....Art Esian Wells 1925 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/sd/sdfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com October 12, 2007, 10:22 pm Book Title: Doane Robinson's Encyclopedia Of South Dakota Artesian Wells: Artesian wells have been a remarkable resource in South Dakota since 1881. The earlier wells were brought in in the following order: Yankton August 31, 1881 Aberdeen March 15, 1882 Andover August 10, 1882 Ashton June 17, 1883 Fort Randall January 25, 1886 There are several other wells prior to the one at Fort Randall; but that is included because an impression abounds that it was the first well. The water supply for these wells is found in the Dakota Sandstone which quite generally underlies the state as far east as the granite uplift at a line approximately fifty miles east of James River. This sandstone upcrops along the outer rim of the Black Hills and drinks up the run-off of that region. The up-crop dips rapidly to the general level of the strata which is at about sea-level; the depth to it being generally determined by the altitude of the surface above the sea. Wherever this strata is penetrated at a lower altitude than the rim of the Black Hills the water comes to the surface. The earlier wells had great force the water bursting forth with a head of 100 pounds or more to the square inch, and it was used for fire protection and for driving machinery. Generally it was used for city water supply and still is in some places, notably Aberdeen, Redfield, Woonsocket and Yankton. With continued drafts upon the supply the pressure is greatly lowered and some wells have ceased to flow. The present number of wells is unknown but there are many, estimated by the state engineer at approximately 8,000. At the beginning the process was extremely slow and expensive, but jettying processes were invented by Peter Norbeck, since United States Senator and George Gilbourne, which have greatly expediated and cheapened well drilling. The wells vary in size from 1 1/2 inch to 18 inches in diameter. The logs of no two wells are precisely the same, although in quite close proximity, but in a general sense they are alike. The differences are largely due to the erosion of the surface affecting the altitude of the region. The log of the first well drilled at Huron is perhaps typical of all east of the Missouri: Yellow clay 13 feet; blue clay 76 feet, gray shale 166, sand rock 7, gray shale 175, hard sand rock 10, gray and brown shale 116, conglomerate, (mixed sand and shale) 51 feet, brown limestone 9, Dakota sandstone 65 feet, limestone 64 feet. This well when bored had a flow of 1500 gallons per minute and a pressure of 120 pounds to the square inch. THE YANKTON WELL (ASYLUM) Elevation above the Sea Level, 1285 feet Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. Yellow clay 25 25 Blue clay 30 55 Chalk 60 115 Shale 200 415 Sandy clay 185 600 Water-bearing sand 72 672 Total depth 672 THE MILL WELL (YANKTON) Elevation above the Sea Level, 1190 feet Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. Soil, sand and gravel 38 38 Chalk-like clays 62 100 Shale 26 126 Hard rock 4 130 Sand 34 164 Shale 65 229 Sand 25 254 Shale 135 389 Sand and clay 125 389 Water-bearing sand 106 595 Total depth of well 595 THE SCOTLAND WELL, Elevation above the Sea Level, 1338 feet Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. Soil 4 4 Drift clay, yellow above and blue below 55 59 Chalk rock, white above and blue below (Niobrara) 120 179 Blue shale (Fort Benton) 80 259 Gray and sand rock (Fort Benton) 100 359 Blue shale (Fort Benton) 40 399 Quicksand 30 429 Blue shale 35 464 Quicksand 30 494 Lime rock 13 507 Water bearing sand rock 28 535 Quartzite 52 587 All between the Benton and quartzite may be considered Dakota. THE TYNDALL WELL Elevation 1410 feet Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. Soil 4 4 Yellow clay 40 40 Blue clay 171 215 Shale 100 315 Hard rock (Niobrara) 7 322 Shale (Fort Benton) 75 397 Sand 60 457 Shale 245 700 Water bearing sand rock 35 735 "Stopped on quartzite." We may consider the last three strata as probably Dakota, though much of it is shale. THE LAYSON WELL Eight miles southwest of Tyndall. Elevation 1560 Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. Soil 3 3 Yellow clay 32 35 Blue clay (partly drift) 55 90 Chalk rock (Niobrara) 280 370 Very hard limestone (Niobrara) 20 390 Black clay (Fort Benton) 14 404 Very hard stone (Fort Benton) 1 405 Light gray clay or shale (Fort Benton) 60 465 Soap stone (Fort Benton) 300 765 Iron pyrites and tough clay 45 810 Sandstone, partly water (Dakota) 230 1040 Coarse sand and gravel (Dakota) 3 1043 Hard stone (Dakota)} 3 1046 Black mud (Dakota) 27 1074 Hard rock (made 1 foot and 8 inches in 3 or 4 days) 2 1076 THE SALEM WELL Elevation, 1517 feet Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. Soil 2 2 Drift clay, yellow above and blue below 67 69 Quick sand 11 80 Blue clay 85 165 Soap stone 40 215 Blue sand (Dakota) 5 220 Blue shale (Dakota) 2 222 Sioux Quartzite 25 247 THE MITCHELL WELL Elevation 1316 feet Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. Soil 2 2 Sandy loam 38 40 Blue clay 90 130 White sand 40 170 Blue shale (Dakota) 115 285 Iron pyrites and lime (Dakota) 1 286 Sand rock, water (Dakota) 29 315 Blue clay (Dakota) 34 449 Dry sand (Dakota) 30 479 Blue shale (Dakota) 50 529 Hard capped rock 1 530 Sand rock, water 18 548 THE PLANKINTON WELL Elevation, 1521 feet Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. Black loam 2 2 Yellow clay (Drift and Fort Pierre) 223 226 Chalk (Niobrara) 9 235 Shale (Niobrara and Fort Benton) 303 538 Sandstone, water (Dakota) 5 543 Shales (Dakota) 197 740 Sandstone, water (Dakota) 5 745 Sioux Falls granite (Dakota) 85 830 Chamberlain Well.-Elevation, 1547 feet- Struck Dakota at a depth of 716 feet and bored into it about 70 feet. THE IROQUOIS WELL Elevation. 1403 feet Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. Blue loam 2 2 Blue clay 40 442 Shale 358 400 Sand rock, light flow 2 402 Shale 198 600 Shale 248 850 Sand rock flow 5 855 Sand rock, no flow 55 910 Soft rock, probably shale 190 1100 It is uncertain how much of this should be called Dakota, probably that below 850. THE HURON WELL, Elevation 1251 feet Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. Yellow clay 13 13 Blue clay 76 89 Gray shale 151 240 Hard iron rock and sand 9 249 Gray shale 175 424 Hard sand rock 10 434 Shale, gray above and brown below 116 550 Conglomerate sand, shale, etc.) 51 601 Gray shale 101 702 Brown limestone, cap rock 10 712 White sand rock, flow 50 762 Hard sand rock 10 772 White sand rock, flow 25 837 Gray lime rock 55 892 Gray shale 4 896 Gray limestone 10 906 THE MILLER WELL Elevation 1586 feet Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. Soil, clay and gravel 220 220 Blue shale 710 930 Hard sand rock, iron pyrites 45 975 Shale 130 1105 Hard sand rock, cap rock 6 1111 Sand rock 5 1116 Sand rock, no flow 29 1145 THE PIERRE WELL Elevation about 1450 feet Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. "Gumbo," sandy clay and blue clay 72 72 Gray shale 20 92 Blue shale, hard streaks of rock 88 180 Black shale 70 250 Blue shale 70 320 Gray shale 145 465 Blue limestone, very hard 3 468 Dark gray shale 132 600 Dark gray shale 160 870 Blue shale 110 710 Yellow lime rock 5 875 Blue shale, with streaks of sand and rock below 275 1150 Sand-rock, white, main flow 20 1170 Shale, light color 22 1192 Forty-two feet of this may be considered. Dakota. THE HIGHMORE WELL Elevation 1900 feet. Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. Soil, clay and gravel 240 240 Blue shale 500 740 Hard gray shale and iron pyrites 75 815 Blue shale 271 1086 Gray shale mixed with sand 224 1310 Blue shale, capped with iron pyrites 120 1430 Sandstone, water, no flow 12 1442 Sandy shale 93 1535 Hard sand cap rock 2 1537 Soft sandstone, flow 15 1552 The Dakota is penetrated here 122 feet. THE HARROLD WELL Elevation 1800 Soil, drift 125 125 Blue clay 155 280 Limestone 2 282 Shale, blue above and gray below, with streaks of limestone 268 550 Black shale, sandy below 190 740 Shale, gray above, blue below, with streaks of lime 693 1433 Lignite 2 1435 Sandstone, main flow 16 1451 Brown shale 2 1453 Small flows at 1,000, 1,300 and 1,433 feet indicate the presence of sands at these levels. ANDOVER WELL Elevation 1505 feet Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. Soil, sand and clay 45 45 Blue clay, drift 30 75 Blue shale 500 575 Limestone 15 590 Shale, streaks of limestone 480 1070 Sandstone, main flow 5 1075 THE ABERDEEN WELL, Elevation 1300 feet Thickness, ft. Depth, ft. From No. 1, Pioneer Well- Soil and clay 16 16 Blue clay 78 94 Shale 400 494 Iron pyrites and shale 10 504 Blue shale 375 879 Sand, some water 10 889 From No. 3- More sandstone 22 912 Sandstones and lignite 5 917 To sandstone, capped rock 4 921 Sandstone, flow 20 941 Hard shale 25 966 Hard, fine sandstone 18 984 Sandy shale 32 1016 Loose sandstone, main flow 50 1066 From a fourth well, recently completed, reported by Mr. P. J. Stacy, beginning at 1,000 feet, below which he found a second flow in white sandstone 5 1000 Blue shale 77 1077 White sand-rock, third and main flow 23 1100 Conglomerate 35 1135 Blue shale 37 1172 Pink and white shale 5 1177 White sand-rock, no water 34 1511 "Archean" 46 1257 "Granite" 33 1290 Preliminary Report on Artesian Waters of a portion of the Dakotas by Nelson H. Darton: U. S. G. S.; Professional Paper 65 U. S. G. S., Professional Paper 32 U. S. G. S. Darton, Yankton Press and Dakotan, August 31, 1881; Letter of A. E. Swann, driller, in scrap-book of T. C. Gage, Aberdeen; Letter of Gen. W. H. Hart. U. S. A., Feb. 26, 1925 to Senator Peter Norbeck, in files Dept. of History. Additional Comments: Extracted from: DOANE ROBINSON'S Encyclopedia of South Dakota FIRST EDITION Published by the Author PIERRE 1925 COPYRIGHT BY DOANE ROBINSON. 1925 WILL A. BEACH PRINTING COMPANY PRINTERS AND BINDERS SIOUX FALLS File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/sd/state/history/1925/doanerob/artesian254gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/sdfiles/ File size: 15.8 Kb