Water towers in Mendocino were a necessary part of life for any one living in Mendocino who wanted running water during the nineteenth century. Today Mendocino's water is supplied by electric powered pumps that use water wells for drinking water. You can still see them all throughout the village. This picture was taken in front of Mendocino High School. It used to be really common in Mendocino.
Windmills use the wind and gears to move water up a pipe and into the holding tank.
The information on the oldest water tower built in Mendocino is quite vague. The oldest standing water tower is the Carlson water tower built for the Carlson City Hotel in 1857. This tower survived the big fire of 1870, the hotel however did not. The Carlson City Hotel was immediately rebuilt. The tower is currently leaning because of a poor foundation.