19-05-2025
Gary's ‘Magic Water' Well Invites Community to the Outdoors
Nestled at an unassuming corner in Gary, sandwiched between construction trucks and railroad tracks, lies a 'nonstop gift of nature' near the end of Chase Street: a free water well.
For decades, Gary's artesian well has brought people from near and far to collect from its cool, bubbling spout, rumored to have medicinal properties. The crystal clear water is regularly tested by the Calumet River Basin Authority, and is safe to drink.
Over the years it has become Gary's little-known hot spot for locals to access free, clean, water. As a bonus, some residents believe it also has an extra kick of vitamins and minerals that can help with their ailments. While it hasn't been officially linked to any particular health benefits, locals have used the well for its vitamins for years.
The water 'flows from the ground as a nonstop gift of nature to Indiana residents,' said Kimmie Gordon, founder of Brown Faces Green Spaces, an environmental equity and advocacy organization in Gary.
On Saturday, Gordon invited community members to the natural spring to tell stories of its legend and foster community over their shared love of the great outdoors.
'As a child, you would hear many refer to it as 'the magic water,'' Gordon said, referring to the local mysticism that has surrounded the well, and its health benefits. 'It's attracted visitors near and far.'
Gary resident Augustine Lewis is one of them.
'I like the natural spring,' the 70-year-old resident said. 'It's chock-full of minerals and has certain things we don't get from our regular water at home, and some of the things you can't buy at the drug stores.'
Lewis said he's visited the well every few weeks for two years and has noticed improvements in his joints and overall health.
Lewis is far from alone. As one of a dozen left in Indiana and Northwest Indiana's only active artesian well, the spring has brought people from near and far to collect from its cool, bubbling spout for years.
As part of her health-conscious diet, Vanessa Egger traveled upward of 40 minutes from Chicago to collect and drink the well water. Meanwhile, Alma Wilkes, a member of the Gary Food Council, filled up 6 gallons.
'It's not chlorinated, so it helps me cook with my ingredients,' Wilkes said while foraging peppery, fresh watercress leaves.
Once only a freestanding pipe sticking out of the ground, the well has become a site for community action and cleanup. Now, it has been revitalized into a designated area called Spring Park, with a shaded awning, off-street parking area, and seating that allows residents to safely drive and collect water as they please from the free-flowing retaining wall built by the city in 2022.
Looking ahead, the well is part of an emerging 800-acre restoration project by the Wetlands Initiative — a Chicago-based nonprofit dedicated to restoring and protecting wetlands — and its project partners, according to Gary Lee, a Wetlands Initiative Community Advisory Board member.
Under the shaded hood of Spring Park awning, Gordon passes out cups full of well-water lemonade in addition to fruits, and plates of steaming hot patties from the grill.
'In an era when bottled water makes billions, this water is a gift from the Earth,' Gordon said. 'It's an open-access artesian well that is chock-full of minerals that is considered to be an endangered artifact.'
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