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| Tales From the Well |
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In fact, Otto Lundberg was the man who dug the deepest well in the Palling and Rose Lake area. The property was owned by a man named Oscar Francine and the farm was located in Forestdale, near Rose Lake. The well ended up being an incredible 110 feet deep. Otto was helped by Ray Ball, who still lives in the area.
Sivert talked to Ray about working on the well with Otto. Otto was down in the bottom of the well and Ray at the top, using a windlass to lift the buckets of dirt from the bottom. Ray, who was only 15 at the time, remembers that it took two months to complete the work. |
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| Old wells can be a danger
on pioneer farmsteads
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Often, there was more than one well on a farm. After a time, these old wells were filled in, covered up and forgotten. Many of them had wood cribbing which rots over time. When the cribbing beneath eventually gives way, the whole structure may cave in. Mary told of one such incident that took place while her mom, Florence, was babysitting for a neighbour. The neighbour was renting an older home on a farm. The family who owned the property lived in a newer house.
“There was a log cabin with a shop behind it,” Mary explained. “Mom was outside with the children when a well collapsed beneath the boy. The well had been filled in with rocks and dirt and covered but the sides just caved in. The boy grabbed at the sides of the well before he fell in further and Mom grabbed him and pulled him out.” Fortunately, neither one was hurt. But it is a good idea to be cautious near these old structures. Who knows how far down someone had to dig before they hit water?
(April 3, 2007)
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