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Published on January 25, 2025
Arlington's Past Blanketed in White: Mineral Water Dust Suppression Leaves Ghostly ResidueSource: City of Arlington, Texas

Stepping off the train or arriving on horseback, visitors to Arlington would find a curious sight in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—a ghostly white covering that seemed to blanket the town. This phenomenon, hardly supernatural, had its origins in the heavily mineralized water from a community well constructed at the Main and Center streets intersection in 1892. Known for its strong odor and foul taste, locals called this dubious liquid blessing "Carlsbad water." According to a historical account by Arlington author and historian O.K. Carter, the solution to make use of this undesirable water inadvertently led to the town's powdery predicament, per the City of Arlington.

As it turned out, Arlington's streets back then were nothing but dirt, easily stirred into gritty annoyance by the wind. An initiative to sprinkle the sandy streets with mineral-dense water emerged, leading to both dust suppression and the unintended side effect of white residue accumulation. Livestock troughs were built alongside to consume the pressurized flow that reached 50,000 gallons per day, though people generally abstained unless parched to the extreme.

The town made clever use of portable tanks filled with mineral water—not only to dampen streets but also to combat the occasional fire. Before the advent of modern firefighting equipment, these tanks proved essential, allowing bucket brigades to make a stand against flames. Yet, despite this practical application, the bizarre fallout was the residue that gave everything from houses to hounds a frosted appearance. As Carter narrates, it was only when the rain came that the town's true colors would vividly wash back into view.