The Stump Bi-Centennial Well

Notable Events

1. 1930Clarence Barker drilled the artesian well for irrigation water. deseret.com
2. 1931Joe Ballif had water from the well piped near his hamburger stand, moved a fire-damaged cottonwood stump there with four horses and a skid, and hired Dewey Lakey to carve it into a drinking fountain with a yellow electric bulb above the tap. northogdencity.gov
3. 1960sAfter the tree stump deteriorated, a steel ring and concrete were added to shore it up, and it lost its treelike appearance. deseret.com
4. 1969Weber State University coach Chick Hislop started having his athletes run to the fountain, exactly 10 miles from WSU, for overdistance training. deseret.com
5. 1999The establishment of Acres Market in 1999 meant the fountain would be removed; Marc M. Sutherland made a plaque on the well's history as his Eagle Scout project. deseret.com
6. The City Council had a 10-foot-high fiberglass replica of the tree stump made and placed near the original well; it was dedicated in a ceremony attended by some 200 people. deseret.com

People

• Chick Hislop, Weber State University cross country/track coach who had his athletes run to the fountain (about 1969).
• Jennabee Ballif Harris, daughter of the fountain's founder; attended the replica's dedication.
• Marc M. Sutherland, created a plaque on the well's history as his Eagle Scout project (1999).
• Clarence Barker, drilled the well for irrigation purposes (around 1930).
• Dewey Lakey, traveling craftsman who carved the stump into a drinking fountain.
• Frank Campbell, the cottonwood trunk came from his yard.
• Grant Huband, well-known local cartoonist who designed another sign for the stand.
• Joe Ballif, operated a hamburger stand and had the well's water piped to the stump fountain (1931).

Sources

1. northogdencity.gov/departments/utilities_public_works/water/bi-centennial_well_the_stump.php
2. utahstories.com/2014/04/utah-spring-water
3. northogdencity.gov/departments/parks_and_recreation/parks/index.php
4. northogdencity.gov/community/about.php
5. northogdencity.gov/Documents/Departments/Utilities%20Public%20Works/2024%20DrinkingWater%20Analysis.pdf
6. webercountyutah.gov/cities_towns.php
7. northogdencity.gov/departments/utilities_public_works/water/index.php