Tombstone Water Works, Tombstone

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER AZ-88. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Tombstone Water Works system was one of the first two water works begun in the territory of Arizona and one of the earliest large projects constructed in the Southwest for a municipal water supply. Description: Water from a series of springs in the mountains was collected in a reservoir long, 80' wide, and 22' deep) located at the upper end of Millers Canyon between the two highest peaks of the Huachuca Mountains. This location is some 25 miles south and above the city of Tombstone. A 7"-diameter wrought-iron pipe carries water across the San Pedro Valley to Tombstone. Extreme pressure is observed in the pipe line at its crossing of the San Pedro River, below its source.

The pipe line then climbs up again to the city of Tombstone where water is stored before entering the distribution system. The original pipe line carrying water from the Huachuca Mountains to Tombstone is still in operation, although sections of pipe have been replaced. Much of the original distribution system throughout the town is still in use. History: The original source of water for the city of Tombstone was Sycamore Springs, located about 8 miles north of the city. Water was carried from the springs by wrought-iron pipe and stored in two small tanks 50' above the town.

Flow from Sycamore Springs was soon found to be insufficient for supplying the municipal needs of Tombstone, which in boasted of a population of The lack of an adequate source of water near Tombstone made necessary the construction of a 25-mile-long pipeline to TOMBSTONE WATER WORKS HAER No. AZ-88 (Page 2) carry water from Miller s Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains to Tombstone. The Huachuca Water Company, a private company chartered under the laws of the state of Indiana, constructed the new system at cost of in This is an unusually high figure for supplying water to a small city during the The company imported the wrought-iron pipe from England to the West Coast, then it was taken by rail to Benson, Arizona, and finally the pipe was hauled by ox teams from Benson to Tombstone.

Using both Apache and Anglo labor, who worked under harsh conditions, the first pipeline system had been put into service by The Huachuca Water Company continued to serve the city with water until when the city bought it. In order to serve more customers, the system was recently expanded and is supplemented by one drilled well.

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER AZ-88. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Arizona Corporation Commission. Docket No. 1311-E-104. Investigation of the Rates, Rules, Service, and Affairs of the Huachuca Water Company. Decision No. Available in Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, Tombstone, Arizona. Baker, ed. The Manual of American Water Works. New York: Engineering News Publishing Co., Caperton, Thomas J., Supervisor, Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, Tombstone, Arizona. Interview by field team, August 9, Cowgill, Pete. Pipe Brings Tombstone Water. The Arizona Daily Star [Tucson, Arizona], March 10, Section B, page 1. Croes, J. James R. History and Statistics of American Water-Works. Engineering News IX Fire Map of Tombstone, August Sanborn Map & Publishing Company, Henningson, Durham & Richardson, Inc. Water System Study.

City of Tombstone, Arizona. Phoenix, AZ: privately printed, Huachuca Water Company. Manuscript of Minutes of Annual Meetings, Available in City Clerk Office, Tombstone, Arizona. Hubert, Harry, City Clerk, Tombstone, Arizona. Interview by field team, August 9, The McGraw Waterworks Directory New York: McGraw Publishing Company, Inc., TOMBSTONE WATER WORKS HAER No. AZ-88 (Page 3) Medigovich, Theda, Silver Nugget Museum, Tombstone, Arizona. Interview by field team, August 9, Silver-Lined Tombstone. Water Journal LI, no. 5 (November-December Historians: T. Lindsay Baker and Steve Rae, August 9 and October 8,

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER AZ-88. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Tombstone Water Works was inventoried for the Historic American Engineering Record as part of the Southwest Water Resources Project, a joint project with the Texas Tech Water Resources Center. The survey was subsequently published as Water for the Southwest: Historical Survey and Guide to Historic Sites by the American Society of Civil Engineers in September