Story from John Vonderlin
Email John ([email protected])
Hi June,
This little description of one of the Pescadero region’s
least known oddities of the mystical variety, “The Holy Well,”
is excerpted from a very futuristic article that appeared in
the April 12th, 1896 issue of “The San Francisco Call,” The
article was entitled “From The Bowels of The Earth,” and was
about well-boring, for geothermal power, for oil, for the “Center of
the Earth,” (280 years at standard rate). Mr. Hoagland, a
Red Adair kind of figure in the of well-boring industry, is quoted
extensively about his career. Amongst his stories was this one:
“In San Mateo County,” said Mr. Hoag –
land, “I drilled a well over 1000 feet in
depth, and struck salt water. Now this
was 700 feet above sea-level and about
eight or ten miles from the coast, on Tar
Creek, a tributary to the Pescadero. We
were aiming for oil at the time. The most
curious part of the outcome was that the
salt water flowed every seventh day.
Somebody styled it the Holy Well, as
there was no accounting for the phe –
nomenon.”
land, “I drilled a well over 1000 feet in
depth, and struck salt water. Now this
was 700 feet above sea-level and about
eight or ten miles from the coast, on Tar
Creek, a tributary to the Pescadero. We
were aiming for oil at the time. The most
curious part of the outcome was that the
salt water flowed every seventh day.
Somebody styled it the Holy Well, as
there was no accounting for the phe –
nomenon.”
Visiting Tar Creek has been on my list for a while,
but as friends say you usually can’t see the seepages
it derives its name from, it hasn’t risen close enough
to the top for me to make the hike. I’m thinking a picture of
the capped “Holy Well,” just might make it worth it.
Enjoy. John
Caption for the image below reads: Leakage from the Seas Is Converted into Steam at the Root of the Volcano