They were once a common and iconic part of the Central Valley landscape, but they’re growing increasingly rare. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of the tankhouse – a key technology that made the valley bloom, over 100 years ago. Drive through the rural areas on the east side of the Valley and chances are at some point you’ll come across an old farmhouse from the 19th century. In many cases, you’ll see an odd shaped outbuilding, shaped kind of like a giant wooden milk carton, two or three stories tall. Some have sloping walls at the base, while others are boxy rectangles. They’re known as tankhouses, and while they can be found in places ranging from Texas to the Northwest, they’re especially identified with California, and the Central Valley. The earliest tankhouses were likely built in the 1860s and combined a water well, water pumping and water storage in one system. … The windmill would power a pump, which lifted water from the aquifer to the tank, 20 to 30 feet in the air, which was enough to supply gravity produced water pressure.