Water

Recently, Hobbs was under an emergency water restriction because of reduced water in the city’s supply system.  I could go into how we need to conserve water on a daily basis but I’m sure all of you learned about that in our Water’s Extreme Journey exhibit a few years back, right?  Good.  Let’s move on and talk about one way to get water out of the ground with a nice example of a water pump from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection.

The pump from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection is a Goulds Pump.  There have been many names for the company that manufactures Goulds Pumps.  It started in Seneca, NY, where in 1846 Abel Downs and John Wheeler came together to build wooden pumps.  They became Downs, Mynderse & Co.  In 1848 Seabury S. Gould bought out some of the company and it became Downs & Co.  With the Gold Rush in full swing the next year, the company realized that the pump would be a huge asset to the pioneers out West.  Gould watched as the company cast the first all-iron pump, which were much more durable and efficient than the wooden pumps.  Downs & Co. became Goulds Manufacturing Company in 1869.  Gould devised one of the earliest steam powered pumps that allowed trains to be more reliable.  Goulds continued to grow, eventually changing their name to Goulds Pump, Inc. in 1926.  Goulds Pumps eventually broke on to the global market.  Known for their industrial pumps in the more recent years, Goulds Pump, Inc. was acquired by ITT Corporation forming the largest pump company in the world.  All of this information came from gouldspumps.com.

We take our indoor plumbing for granted these days.  I remember pumping water with my grandparents and I thought it was fun but I’m thinking if you had to do it every day – multiple times a day – it wouldn’t be much fun.  You had to have water so the pump was the place to go.  You might even consider this pump from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection as an early version of the water cooler!  Just think of how many conversations may have take place around this very pump in days gone by.  To see other ways that the pioneer lifestyle differed from or compared to our own, stop by the Western Heritage Museum.