One paragraph caught Eli’s attention.
Old wells located along natural drainage paths may collect surface water after partial collapse, masking the original shaft and creating pond-like depressions.
He copied that sentence exactly.
Then Corrine brought out something else.
A county soil survey from the 1960s.
Large.
Folded.
Yellowing at the creases.
The Voss property appeared in one corner.
Old buildings were sketched lightly.
Barn.
House.
Shed.
And a tiny square near the former house marked WELL.
Eli stared.
“Can I copy this?”
Corrine smiled.
“I expected you to ask.”
She made an enlarged photocopy.
At home Eli printed a current aerial image of the farm.
For almost two hours he tried aligning the old survey with the modern map.
Fence lines had changed.
The barn had been rebuilt.
A road had shifted.
Finally he used two features that remained consistent, the creek bend and the stone foundation of the old livestock shed.
When those matched, the little square labeled WELL landed almost exactly beneath the present pond.
He sat back.