The Town That a Water Well Built.

It All Started with One Good Well

In 1881, as the Texas & Pacific Railway pushed across the dry country between the Pecos River and Big Spring, the crews had no water — until surveyor Pat Monahan dug a well at the edge of the sandhills. It came in strong, and "Monahan's Well" became a watering stop for the steam locomotives. A depot, a town, and finally the name "Monahans" grew up around it.

The town's name, its location, and its very existence all trace back to a single water well.

It's no accident the well was here. Beneath the Monahans Sandhills, a buried layer traps a shallow water table, and the loose dune sand drinks in rainfall like a sponge — recharging the groundwater below. The same dunes that draw visitors today are part of what keeps water within reach out here.