Tankhouses

Curry County, NM

Tankhouses, Solano,
New Mexico
(Sixgun Siding)

(Encyclopedia of the Great Plains) Tankhouses are outbuildings constructed to provide water storage for domestic consumption and to insure dependable water pressure. The basic design is simple and straightforward– a large water tank (2,000 to 3,000 gallons) sits on an elevated platform some twenty to forty feet in height. Usually both the tank and the tower structure are enclosed. The area inside the tower is used for a workshop or storage or occasionally as a dwelling area. Wood is used most frequently in the construction of a tankhouse, although in some areas stone, brick, masonry block, or a combination of these materials is employed. Square, straight tower construction is most common in the Great Plains, but tapered towers are found occasionally, and in Nebraska circular towers occur in some counties. Continued