Biggest Hand-dug Well!

On our trip out to Max's parents' place in Colorado, we stopped about 3-4 hours outside of Wichita in Greensburg, where they have the world's largest hand-dug well. This is a picture of us at almost the bottom of the well. It's about 109 feet down and 32 feet across and built at the end of the 19th century so that the people working could have water for steam engines and for everyday use. The government funded the project and I think it cost about $45,000, a lot of money for those days and a lot of work with just shovels, pick axes, ropes and pulleys!

It was a bit scary going down the stairs with the kids because it was a long way down from the top, the stairs are steep and there are gaps everywhere on the way down (or up) for dolls or kids to fall into. Max and I held them the whole way down and up the stairs, so that we didn't lose them to the depths of the well!