The Greensburg, Kansas Big Well in August, 2008. Compare the bent flagpole in the foreground with the way it looked when the photo at the bottom of this page was taken in 2005. The rock wall around the Big Well looked much the same prior to the Greensburg tornado. Prior to May 4, 2007, Greensburg, Kansas was only known for the World's Largest Hand Dug Well. But today, the Big Well is just one of the symbols of Greensburg's refusal to be eliminated by the 1.7 mile wide, EF5 tornado that devastated most of the community and left 11 people dead. Winds were estimated at 205 miles per hour. The Big Well viewing canopy, and the building that housed the Big Well gift shop/museum were severely damaged by the Greensburg tornado. The gift shop is now housed in a small temporary building and the attraction is being restored, but the well is not yet open for visitors to climb into. Plans for a new Big Well Museum are underway. The World's Largest Pallasite Meteorite, which was previously exhibited at the Big Well as a bonus attraction, is temporarily on exhibit at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, Kansas. The meteorite was the largest pallasite meteorite that had been found when it was discovered near Greensburg in 1949, and weights over 1,000 pounds. The meteorite will be returned to Greensburg when the new Big Well Museum is complete. Construction of the World's Largest Hand Dug Well began in 1887. A crew of twelve to fifteen men dug the well, while other crews quarried and hauled the native stone used for the casing of the well. When the well was completed in 1888, it was 109 feet deep and 32 feet in diameter. The Big Well served as a source of water for Greensburg until 1932. In 1972, the Big Well was designated as a National Museum. Over three million visitors have descended the metal stairway into the Well. On January 29, 2008 the Big Well was named one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas by the Kansas Sampler Foundation.
copyright 2005-2010 by Keith Stokes |
