Remembering well drilling days of old

By Joan Janzen

Memories from the past have been captured in community history books, thanks to the dedication of citizens who valued local history. One of those books is ‘Down Cereal’s Memory Trails’, in which the second volume included an interesting story about drilling wells in the early 1900s when every farm needed a source of water. The author, Joe Haggerty, tells about the exploits of himself and his father Tom Haggerty.

Joe Haggerty’s well drilling derrick on Britton Brothers farm south of Cereal. Joe Haggerty is up on the tower. Photo from Down Cereal’s Memory Trails - Volume 2

Tom Haggerty began his business ventures by renting some buildings belonging to Ed Spinler from Kenaston, Sask. The business venture included operating two well-digging machines, as well as owning livestock and farm machinery. Tom did some breaking of land, harvesting and worked on a road out of Chinook, past George McDonald’s place.

Tom and his son took one of their machines south of Cereal and dug their first well for Earl S. Witt who ran a lumber yard in Cereal. They drilled over 30 wells that summer.

Tom let Harry Howden take the other well machine north of Cereal. Harry homesteaded twelve miles south and three miles west of Chinook. In January, 1915, Joe filed on a half section near that property and continued to drill wells. He raised his family there until moving in 1937 in order to provide an education for his children.