Water well drilling is an important part of human survival. One of the ways to measure the cultural significance of an object, movement, or person is to see how it relates to popular culture. Although not as popular as Lady Gaga or the former (albeit questionable) phase of wearing hammer pants, wells do figure prominently in popular culture.
Water well drilling enthusiasts are doubtlessly familiar with the plight of Jack and Jill who went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Illustrations of this classic nursery rhyme never fail to show Jack and Jill heading up the hill to a water well. I am sure some people may question why a well driller would drill a well on the top of a hill, however groundwater does not necessarily travel the same path you would expect a river to follow on the surface. Most of the time it does conform to the overlying topography, but groundwater will also flow as a path from highest pressure to lowest pressure, or better described, a path of least resistance. However, I digress.
Another lesser known nursery rhyme simply entitled “Water” also features a well in the opening stanza: There’s water in the rain barrel /And water in the well / There’s lots of water in the pond / Where Hannah Hawkins fell.
If we relied solely on nursery rhymes, we would think that wells were synonymous with calamity or clumsy children. Fortunately popular culture has provided us with other, happier sources of well- themed narratives.
Believers and non believers alike can agree that the biblical story of how Rebecca met her husband is a very romantic tale. Rebecca was drawing water at a well when she was approached by Isaac’s servant. Isaac’s servant was on a wife finding mission for his master and he had prayed for a sign. This sign was that the woman offering to draw water for him and his thirsty camels would be the future wife of Isaac. Rebecca, the hardy lass, was the lucky lady that dipped into the well and was promptly showered with expensive jewellery and a marriage proposal on Isaac’s behalf. I haven’t been around many camels, but I am guessing they can drink a fair bit! So, the romance of Isaac and Rebecca started at a well. (What would be the modern equivalent of that? Offering to gas up a convoy?)
Water well drilling features prominently in the popular novel “Millions”, which was later made into a movie. A very creative movie ending shows the characters climbing into a fort made of a large cardboard box and crawling out the other end where they are showered with well water from the newly dug wells their funds created.
Music lovers will not be disappointed to know that water wells have reached this branch of popular culture as well. “Water from the Well” is a lively Irish album by the Chieftains. Music by the Chieftains can also be heard on the movies Treasure Island, Barry Lyndon, Three Wishes for Jamie, Tristan and Isolde, The Grey Fox and The Year of the French.
It is easy to overlook the importance of water well drilling in our day to day lives. After all, it is not a profession filled with celebrities or high ranking CEOs. (But, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates can make owning computer companies cool, perhaps there is hope for well drilling. A reality TV show perhaps?!) However, water is more than a part of our life. It is a part the fabric of our culture. American Water Surveyors is passionate about water: the importance of it, the history of it, and its place in our culture. They know that water is vitally important to life. That is why they perform the most important water-related task of all. They find it. 877-734-7661 www.wefindwater.com
