Artesian Well – Canton, Texas  4.8/5 (4)

49 people follow this spring.
Directions:

Description:

Flowing Artesian Well

Nearest Address

County Rd-2205, Canton, TX 75103

Directions from Nearest Address

Exit TX-19 South, right on CR 2205, left at the dead end, spring on right. Canton, TX ‬

Vital Information

  • Fee: No Fee
  • Access: Public
  • Flow: Continuous
  • TDS: 25
  • Temp:N/A
  • pH: 6.7

Hours Spring is Open:

Always

GPS:

32°30’46.44″N, 95°52’3.16″W

Map Link: Artesian Well – Canton, TX

Submitted by: Rami Barsoum & Brian Hudson Smith

Responses

  1. I happen to know a good bit about this well. My grandfather, Robert E. Faulkner, drilled it and set the original pipe in the early 1950s. He and my grandmother lived about 1/4 mile north of the well in a two-room house (all bathroom facilities, including the shower, outdoors). Their kitchen tap was connected to a small pond on their property, and that supplied them with household water. But each day my grandfather (and any grandchildren who happened to be visiting) would walk to the well with an old-fashioned enamel bucket and bring home the “drinking water.”
    For over 15 years, the well was nothing more than a three inch pipe rising about 2 feet above the ground. Water flowed constantly over the open top and onto the ground. It then gathered into a brook that wound off through the woods to the east of the road. Eventually, this little creek emptied into the pond.
    Sometime in the 1970s, my grandparents sold their property and moved to Henderson, Texas. Rather than letting the well go with the property, my grandfather deeded it to the city of Canton with the stipulation that it would always be open to the public.
    It saddened me a great deal to return and find the ugly fence around the well. I liked the old, mossy pipe much better.

    1. Thanks for the info, Jan. I had heard from another “well goer” that it had been deeded and gets tested monthly along with all the other municipal water. That’s great, as long as no one decides to do anything to this awesome water :-). So do you know anything about the UV set-up? Just wondering if there was a problem at any point that caused someone to decide to do that. Thanks for any info!

    2. What could we do to remove the unused UV unit and replace the PVC pipes with some cast iron pipe or stainless steel pipe instead. I drink the water from that well and don’t like the plastic pipe’s people have installed. I would be willing to help pay for some better pipes. It would not take very much pipe to fix it.

    3. Jan – its nice to hear from a family member.  My family got water from this well – from the time I was a little girl.  We moved to the area in 1955. My little brother was a baby – and he’s now a ranch manager in Larue.  My folks had a big 25 gallon glass holder that swung on a metal holder.  Poppa would go and get water from the spring – the mossy pipe you talk of – because the glass container was so heavy.  Later they went and got the water in gallon jugs.  I remember how cold and clear that water was from the pipe – AND how much the local folk appreciated your grandfather deeding the well. 

      My last memory, I live in Seattle now, was a trip to the well with my Father, the day after my Mother’s funeral.  We’d gone to ‘get water’ , most likely because it was something normal and comforting to do.  We talked about Mom and their life together. A trip to the well was just sort of sustaining.

      We truly enjoyed that water – and perhaps my sister still goes to get water from there. But your family’s generosity was a legacy to me !

  2. We just visited this spring today and we haven nothing but good things to say about it! We are from Manitou Srings Colorado and are used to the drinking springs there. This spring was running strong and cold today. We met a local woman whom filled as many jugs as we did and says she visits often to fill up. She says that sometimes it runs less strong and fast but it just depends on the day. Otherwise you can depend on this spring to be flowing well enough to obtain good amounts of fresh drinking water! This particular spring is very still (meaning not carbonated). The sun was shining and it was all very beautiful while we filled up. We reccomend this location if you are in search of fresh drinkibg water from the earth! We will come back to visit this spring whenever we visit Dallas again! Thank you to FindASpring and all the people who established a pin on this location as an actual source of free clean drinking water and all the people who took the time to leave a comment and photos for others to view.

  3. When I went today, a Canton Water Treatment truck pulled up. He was just coming to get some water, but I took the chance to ask him a few questions. He said the UV machine is indeed off. He said vandals destroyed that thing years ago, so no, there is no one testing it each day like started above. He said he does send a monthly sample off to be tested for bacteria, and it has never come back positive. He said the pH is 7 – what perfect pure water should be. He also said this isn’t a true artesian spring either. He said the lake water is higher so that’s what causes the pressure to make it come out. I mentioned that some of the commenters on here mentioned calling the City and asking questions. He said they should ask Ron.

  4. Robert Faulkner was also my Grandfather. I remember taking many walks to the well from the original two room cedar house he built, going to the outhouse, taking baths in the tin tub on the back porch, letting the chickens out of the chicken house, eating watermelons in the watermelon patch, picking muskatine grapes to the 3 bedroom 2 bath with carport when I was a older teenager. Granddaddy and I would get his water pails and take off down the road to draw water from the well. We would also take a cane poll and catch grasshoppers and would catch perch in the stream. Granddaddy also had a water route that he took to the widow ladies of Canton…They believed it cured their ailments. They would always give him baked goods or fresh veggies for bringing them the water. That was the coldest water coming out of that spring….Just like my cousin, Jan…I was sad the last time I went to the old homeplace and saw the condition of the well. The city of Canton should dedicate that well to Him and take time to appreciate all the thousands of people that have come to Canton to draw water from the well!

    1. I read your comment and was wanting to ask you a question? My grandparents live down the road toward Emory. They’ve been drinking the water for almost 30 years and I attribute it to as part of their vitality and well being for their age. I was wanting to know from someone with history from the area if more is known about the well. The location of its original source? I asked around town when I made a trip to the well one morning when I was visiting them. I was told multiple answers, the most being Colorado and Arkansas. If yourself or anyone else with knowledge can shed light on this please email me and let me know. klkinslow@yahoo.com . Thanks

  5. Wow! My husband and son went today and brought us home some water. It tastes great! While they were there, they talked to a few locals from the area. One very nice older woman said that before they put in the drinking pipe, she had been coming to get water as a young girl. They supposedly use to use a bucket and rope back then to get their water from this place!

    Very nice folks out there in Canton, TX. True…. it's not a cute site like some of the others are, but what comes out of it makes it all worth the trying! Who knows……maybe latter on they may start asking for donations and build a nice little stone/rock feature on it, to make it look more appealing? I would give to keep this artesian well going. Thanks for this wonderful site!!!!!!!!!!!

  6. I think the water is great. We keep it for more than 2 weeks without it going off at all, so I think there’s no bacterial problem. And I am EXTREMELY sensitive to all chemicals but am getting better and better on this water. It’s gotta be good. I don’t know what I’d ever do without it. I got really bad panic syndrome from drinking bottled water and filters haven’t worked out. This is the best water I’ve ever had.

  7. I am so fortunate to live only 15 miles from this delicious water. Just filled up four large jugs last weekend. It tastes so pure and wonderful. 🙂

  8. I want to know your thoughts on the PVC pipe, UV filtration, etc. Does any of this cancel out the purity of the water?
    I was thinking of purchasing a ionic water machine to use until I found this site. Of course natural is best, but…..pipes, filtrations systems, filters? Who changes those & when?
    Just curious & would rather drive to get “living” water over paying thousands for a system.
    Thanks for the input.

    1. I do not like the PVC pipe on the spring at all. The PVC pipe should be replaced with a stainless steel pipe. The UV filtration unit on the spring is not good. I do not like the UV filtration unit at all. The water is perfect right out of the ground. You can unplug the UV filtration thing when you get your water. The PVC pipe and UV filter need to be removed.

      1. It doesn’t look like the UV unit has been used for awhile. I thought maybe sometime in the past there may have been a possible problem? No one seems to know of anything in 40 yrs, so my guess is it wasn’t too big a problem if one at all…

        1. We went there this morning for the first time. I wonder if the water is diverted through the UV contraption whether it is on or off, and whether the pipes it goes through may not be old and corroded like the UV thing looks. I love the thought of getting clean water this way, but actually I didn’t like the taste of it, and that makes me wonder if it’s it’s still being tested, and if it’s still clean. Maybe it’s just the natural taste of east Texas water that I need to get used to, I don’t know. I’m used to filtered.

          1. I do like the water now – I think that the acrid taste was probably from my jugs not being thoroughly rinsed. And I think the UV setup is abandoned. The door on it is ajar. We’ve been drinking the water without a problem for over a week now and my stomach is very sensitive to everything. I think the iron content is very high as East Texas water usually is, I think. I’ve decided to put it through a ceramic filter, which I expect will lower the iron as  well as remove any bacteria that might be in it. (High iron levels in the body contribute to cancer and heart disease.)

            1. I’ve decided the water in this well is not reliable due to the drought and/or agrotoxins from surrounding farm communities. The last water we got tasted bitter and gave me diarrhea. The ceramic filter didn’t make much difference. I just read something similar written about the Cuney-Frankston spring which is in the same area. I think that any spring or well from this aquifer needs to be treated with caution now because of the effect the prolonged drought is having.

              1. Kathie-
                Thanks for your update. I was wondering about the quality of the water due to the drought… Will wait until it cools off modest we have some rain before I go trekking out there. Thanks again for the current update.

              2. Kathie…….Are you sure it wasn’t something else like food making you ill…I have a very week immune system and just picked up more water yesterday and still I am fine….:)just a thought…., I have never had a problem with this well, from what I know it is still tested…. but I will try to double check that part….out of all the water in the area it is the best….Thining about sending a sample to EWG to get it tested……but it cost so much:(

                1. I don’t know. My husband drinks it and likes it, with no stomach problems. It gives me a really bad aftertaste with a burn to it. My immune system is good but I’m very sensitive to chemicals, so my guess is that it’s contaminated with agrotoxins. (The way I got so sensitive to chemicals was by drinking untreated well water and ignoring the bad taste – for 3 years before I realized the well was contaminated by everything our neighbor put on his field: weedkillers, lime, etc.) But I could easily be wrong about this one. I’m also concerned that perhaps the city isn’t maintaining it or testing it anymore. The cyclone fence is down, so it’s accessible by people and animals. The UV apparatus is sitting there open and appears to be rusting right above it. I can’t help but wonder what kinds of toxic metals are leaching out of it and going right into the well. There are mobile homes not that far away, probably with septic tanks, fertilize on their gardens, etc. It just doesn’t seem to be very “protected”.

                  1. I understand I have MCS…….I have to go again this week and pick up some more……we even cook with it…. We went on a mini vaca and I drank distilled water the entire time we were gone….came home drank 4 glasses of “Our” water here at the house and my lymph nodes swelled  again, so over to the well we went….
                    I DO Agree
                    It could be kept better but they don’t seem to care much about it, When I was young none of that was there….
                    I think it is  a shame that so many local people have capped there well or fenced it off so that people can’t get to them around this area
                    For those out of town, We had an inch of rain last night:) If you are worried about the farm run off ect making this bad, trust me with MCS It would set me off right away and doesn’t……just an fyi
                    You can email me at Herbsofafeather@aol.com     CANTON WELL In the Subject if you are interested in having this well tested……I think we will try to get it done pretty soon if I can’t find out that it is being done by the city!

                    1. I took your advice and began drinking it again and it’s been fabulous for weeks. We just got more today and then saw last week’s warning that someone had gotten sick. Maybe he just got a virus. I’ll let my husband try it out first and let you know if he gets sick or not. 🙂  I stopped even filtering it and I think it’s been good. Certainly no bad stomach problems like his.

                    1. No. You could test it easily enough for ph, but i’m sure it’s fine. I think a burn would have been from a chemical, and it was due to my own detoxing at the time. After I got through a difficult period of allergies and detox, I drank it for a year (until moving), and it was great.

  9. Me and my husband travel from Arlington, Texas once a month and have been doing so for 3 months now. It is great! I have never tasted “real” water (not chemically treated). I will not touch any other water now. I cannot say enough how refreshing and clean this water is. The locals we have talked to have drank this water for many years. I have even seen county workers stopping in to fill up their water jugs before heading off to work. I cannot say enough how much I love this water and how much my health has improved just from drinking it!

  10. The plastic UV unit should be removed. It does not look like is is being used. It would be better if the water was not going through unnecessary plastic pipes which have BPA contamination.

  11. Looking for people to contribute a little to have this tested by a good company.  Please leave me a note if you want to contribute……even a little will help us get enough to make sure and we WILL be posting the results

  12. Hi Sandy, I just went there myself a week ago, but I didn’t pay any attention to the UV setup…….so if you find out anything, let me know. I’ve been there several times and have always enjoyed the water. I’m thinking not many natural artesian wells or springs have UV setups, but it would be nice if someone who knows more could tell us about that.

    1. Yes…would like to know. Just made another trip out there today – I just can’t get over how awesome it is to have access to such high quality water with all the latest studies saying reverse osmosis isn’t even considered safe anymore.

  13. Wow! My husband and son went today and brought us home some water. It tastes great! While they were there, they talked to a few locals from the area. One very nice older woman said that before they put in the drinking pipe, she had been coming to get water as a young girl. They supposedly use to use a bucket and rope back then to get their water from this place!

    Very nice folks out there in Canton, TX. True…. it's not a cute site like some of the others are, but what comes out of it makes it all worth the trying! Who knows……maybe latter on they may start asking for donations and build a nice little stone/rock feature on it, to make it look more appealing? I would give to keep this artesian well going. Thanks for this wonderful site!!!!!!!!!!!

  14. This water is great- It’s always great. We’ve been collecting it for years and are always wary of misinformation about its quality from the vultures who want to take it over (i.e. Nestle Water etc). The people must fight to keep this place going if any threats should ever arise.

  15. I just found out about this place and decided to try it out. I went Saturday the 8th , 2018. There wasn’t anyone in line. Area was clean. Water was cool and has a different taste. No smell. Clean and clear water.

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How to Collect Spring Water

Drinking pure spring water is one of the most important things we can do for our health. Our bodies are over 99% water at the molecular level, so water affects every aspect of our biology. Yet, not all water is created equal. Almost all the bottled spring water available is pasteurized for shelf stability, which neutralizes many of the powerful health benefits such as increased hydrogen, healthy probiotics, and crystalline structure. For more about why unprocessed spring water is the best water to drink, read this.

The best way to guarantee you are getting real unprocessed spring water is to collect it yourself. This is a short and simple guide filled with information about how to gather spring water. We will cover how to find a spring, how to collect the water, how to honor the spring, how to store the water properly and other tips.

FindASpring.org is the best resource for locating a spring near you. However, not all springs are on the map. First, check the map to see if there is a spring in your local area. If there is, look at the reviews and comments. Has anyone shared helpful information about flow rate or posted a water test result? Is the spring in a pristine area? Do a bit of research and make sure the spring is safe to drink from. If you have any doubt about the purity, don’t risk it and get a water test, HERE. If you don’t see a spring on the map in your area, there still might be some that aren’t listed yet. First, ask the older generation who have lived in your area a long time if they know. You can also ask people in your community who might already get spring water such as people at a health food store or at a farmers market. Another great option is to view A US forest service map, where many springs have been marked. You can view these maps through the Gaia GPS or All Trails hiking apps on your phone. The map overlay you want is USGS Topo. Not all are easily accessible or ideal for drinking, but some are and it can be a fun adventure to find them. We have found over half a dozen great springs this way.

Once you’ve found your spring, figure out how you are going to gather the water. Is it right on the side of the road and easy to access or do you have to hike to it? We recommend storing spring water in glass instead of plastic to preserve the purity of the water. It is better for the environment, your body, and the water. Even BPA free plastic has toxic chemicals that can leach into water and cause health issues. If you do want to use plastic for safety reasons when filling at the spring, we recommend transferring the water to glass as soon as possible. FindASpring is sponsored by Alive Waters, which offers beautiful reusable glass. They have a 2.5 gallon option, which is a convenient size for carrying that isn’t too heavy. They also sell handles that you can use to transport the jugs even more easily. If you have to hike to access the spring, we recommend putting the water jugs into an extra large backpack to hike the water out with ease. We use Osprey packs that hold 2 jugs each. You can also use a wheelbarrow or even a stroller depending on how easy a walk it is.

Filling 2.5 Gallon Alive Waters Jug

When you get to the spring, remember to first give back before you take. Springs are considered sacred in indigenous cultures around the world for their life giving water and also as a connection to the inner earth. A powerful and simple way to give back is to clean up. Is there any trash that needs to be collected? Could you move any dead leaves or sticks to improve the flow rate? Show up in service. Some other wonderful ways to give is with a moment of expressing verbal gratitude, singing songs to the water, offering the water an ethically sourced crystal, a feather, or some other physical gift. Flowers are a popular and beautiful thing to offer, but please be careful to source organic ones as most flowers from the store are sprayed with pesticides and can be toxic to put near a spring. Also, flowers can attract bugs as they decay, so it can be best to offer them to the flowing water directly or a little downstream from the spring head.

When gathering the water, fill the jug as close to the spring head as possible, never gather downstream. Be very careful as wet glass is extremely slippery. Make sure the lid is securely fastened. When transporting the spring water home, the jugs can sometimes slide around the car. Secure them in place or wrap them with towels or something so they don’t crash into each other.

How you store your spring water is essential. It is not pasteurized like spring water from the store, so it will start growing algae if left in direct sunlight. This is good because it means it’s alive! If the water you drink can’t even support the most basic life forms, how do you think it will support your body? Store your water in a cool, dark place such as a dark corner, pantry or closet. The fridge is ideal if you have room. Some people prefer to filter their water through a Berkey filter before drinking, but if the spring is pure, it’s not necessary. We drink our spring water completely unfiltered.

How long the water stays good for depends on how cold a temperature it’s stored at. Spring water is best fresh. We personally do not prefer to drink spring water past 2 weeks old. However, we know other people that will drink it at a month old. It’s great to get in a rhythm where you know how long the water lasts you and put your collection day on the calendar in advance.

I believe that water is calling us to reconnect with her in the deepest way, to gather our own water. Just like our ancestors did. Our ancestors didn’t have fancy water machines. They also didn’t create villages or settle where there was no water. Water was revered as the center of the community and the nodal point around which life could spiral out and take root.

Here’s to restoring the sacred connection with the waters of life.

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