History of Minonk's Water Tower

Submitted by - April 25, 2020

This article was taken from a September 27, 1973 article in the Minonk News-Dispatch

This is Minonk's first water tower. Also shown is the brick chimney needed for the steam engine. The men are from left to right: John Scholl, Conrad Meyer,and William Mitchell.- Loaned by G.H.Leffers

Horses neighed, children shouted, women chatted, and boiling hot water poured into tanks, caldrons, and buckets. It was a Sunday evening back in 1900 at the old wooden water works.

Monday has always been "wash day," and hot water was as much in demand then as it is now. So on Sunday evenings, Minonk residents drove their teams and wagons to the well and filled containers with steam-heated water for the following day's work. The water cooled somewhat before wash day began, but it was brought back to boiling on old kitchen cook stoves.

The first Water Works System was installed in Minonk in 1887 at which time Josiah Kerrick was Mayor of the City. There was a $10,000 bond issue voted to pay for the system which was installed by the Fairbanks-Morse Company at a cost of $3,825.00. Wooden mains were laid to carry the water and the system proved defective and it was not until September 2, 1889 that it was paid for. Most of the wooden mains were then replaced by iron mains.

Minonk's first water tower was constructed in 1894. Wooden water mains, constructed like a wooden barrel and creosoted on the outside, supplied residents with water. No one is quite sure how far from the tower these wooden mains reached, but the remains of old mains have been found near the Masonic Temple and Baptist Church.

Minonk has had four water towers in its history. After the old wooden tower, in ap­proximately 1900, a Standpipe type of tower with a brick foundation supporting a metal storage tank was built by Joe Cody of Peoria with Philip O'Conner as foreman.

The original brick foundation, supporting the second metal holding tank, is shown on the right in the photo. The present water tower and water works building are on the left. In the foreground is the reservoir. Photo by G.H.Leffers

In 1916 a new steel tank was installed on the old foundation, using a cement "Cud" (in place of woodtimbers) to hold the tank and to support it from rocking. This tank was made of a special alloy developed by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Co. to resist the corrosive effects of some of the minerals in the water. Chicago Bridge and Iron Co. was the contractor for this tank.

During the construction and replacing of this tank, water was supplied by an 8000 gal. steel compression tank as a standby in case of fire. A gasoline engine was used to power a pump to maintain a working pressure of 45 lbs.

Fire Chief Ryan conducted a test and the system was able to throw a stream of water over St. Patrick's Church the highest point in town at that time. This tank was later purchased by the Minonk Coal Co. and was used at the mine as a gasoline storage tank,

The tower or Stand pipe served the community until 1960 when the present ele­vated tank, also built by Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., was erected. In 1972 a new pump house was built to re­place the old building.

Minonk's first well, one of two wells still in use, is 1850 feet deep. Old records show that at a depth of 546 feet, the drillers hit the same vein of coal that was then being mined. Steam supplied the pumping power at the first water works, and also heated water for laundry day.

Ultimately, electricity took the place of steam and cast iron mains replaced the wooden ones.

Increasing water needs of the city demanded the drilling of another well. Well number two is 2002 feet deep and is located very close to well number one. Both wells tap water from the St. Peters Sandstone vein, a deep vein of water that begins near Lake Superior and travels south to Texas. The static level in both wells is 253 feet.

Minonk's facilities quite adequately cover the city's needs. The new water tank holds 150,000 gallons, and the reservoir has a 128,000 gallon capacity. Each day, Minonk residents require an average of 17,000 cubic feet, or 125,000 gallons, of water.

Parts of this story from an article in the News-Dispatch of April 22, 1971 by Joy Krukewitt. With pictures courtesy of G. H. Leffers.