The 200-Foot Lifeline: Charles Todd’s Well of Kindness

Water for All:

The Legacy of Charles Orson Todd’s Well

In the early days of Granger, long before city water reached every home, families relied on wells, ditches, and hard labor to access this most essential resource. For Charles Orson Todd, water was not just a necessity—it became a legacy.

Around 1907, as Charles established his brick farmhouse on 2200 South, he knew he needed a reliable water source for farming, livestock, and daily household needs. He hired a local driller, Ray Palmer, to help him search for underground water. At 200 feet, they struck a strong artesian vein, and the result was nothing short of miraculous—a powerful column of water shot 20 feet into the air.

But Charles didn’t keep this blessing to himself. There was more than enough water for his home, his parents’ home nearby, and even neighboring families. Recognizing the value of community and self-reliance, Charles got to work. He dug trenches by hand, directing water to where it was needed most—across farm rows, to animals, and eventually out toward the public road.

Always eager to make things easier for others, Charles made a generous offer to the community:
“If you fellers want to furnish the pipe,” he said, “we’ll pipe it out to the road. We’ll have a pipe with an ‘L’ on it. You drive your rig under there with the barrel on it, fill it up, turn the valve off.”

With this simple but effective solution, Charles ensured that every neighbor who needed water could get it—no hauling from ditches, no struggling with buckets. Just clean, reliable water flowing from the Todd well, piped to the roadside for anyone in need.

Even today, the original irrigation ditch that Charles and a neighbor dug still runs along the property, a quiet but powerful reminder of his foresight and generosity. The Todd well—long since capped—is part of West Valley’s living history, echoing the pioneer values of hard work, community care, and sharing the Lord’s blessings