THE WATER AT NEWBERRY SPRINGS

By Malcolm Gilmore

1958 

NEWBERRY SPRINGS has been named the DESERT’S OLDEST WATER HOLE, because it was here that Padre Garces first watered his caravan in 1776.  He came west on the Old Santa Fe Trail to the ‘FORK OF THE ROADS’ FAULT water hole.  Jeddiah Smith came through on the old Mormon Trail into Newberry Springs in the 1880s.  Hence the name—Fork of the Roads. 

The OLDEST WATER HOLE is shown on the Roads to Romance Map.  In later years, Newberry Springs was acquired by the Santa Fe R.R.  They refer to the springs as the most FABULOUS WELL on the entire length of the Santa Fe.  The railroad hauls an entire train load of pure water from Newberry Springs every night to the towns east of Newberry as far as Kingman and Seligman, Arizona.  As many as 120 tank cars have been hauled from here in a single day. 

Much thought and study has been given to Springs on the Desert as to their origin.  The U.S.G.S. Water Supply Paper was written in 1909 by Walter G. Mendenhall, geologist with the U.S.G.S.  This paper was named “DESERT WATERING PLACES”.  In it he states “There are large warm springs about 600 yards south of WATER STATION (Newberry was called Water at that time) on the Santa Fe R.R.  The water is clear and pure and is used by prospectors en route to the mountains farther south.  The Santa Fe R.R. has built a circular masonry reservoir about the springs and pumps from them through an 8-inch pipe line.  The water is hauled in tank cars to supply locomotives at Ludlow and Bagdad.  He also states that “It is not unlikely that when structural details shall have been worked out, many of the strongest springs on the Desert will be found along fault lines and their waters will prove to be of deep origin and independent of local rainfall and local drainage.” 

This statement seems to have been proven by the fact that the present water supply superintendent at the Depot was asked by the railroad to put two large centrifugal pumps on the ”Spring” and draw the water down so the reservoir could be cleaned out.  These two pumps worked night and day for 24 hours and couldn’t draw the water down one inch.  

Clay is of greatest importance in connection with water supply, not as a direct water bearer but as a confining layer to porous sands, from which it prevents water from escaping.  Newberry Valley has a layer of blue clay at a depth of 300 feet, which has trapped this large underground lake. 

A number of large private commercial fish, frog and duck lakes have been put in at Newberry, as well as many large reservoirs and swimming pools.  All these can be had a Newberry because of the super abundance of pure low cost underground water.  My grandfather who was an old desert prospector, camped many times at Newberry over 75 years ago (This would have been in the 1880s).

Southwest Land Journal