The Southeast Water Trough is a historic structure located in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

, United States. It is one of the last of 15

National Humane Alliance fountains The National Humane Alliance fountains are a series of granite drinking fountains distributed by the National Humane Alliance, intended to provide fresh drinking water for horses, dogs, cats, and people. About 125 of the fountains were donated t ...

that were placed around the city by the Iowa Humane Alliance. with They were also named Ensign fountains after the founder of the National Humane Alliance, Hermon Lee Ensign. This was one of two placed in Des Moines in 1906. The tall

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

structure features a rectangular shaft that is surrounded by a bowl. Four small cups are located at the base to provide water for smaller animals. The fountain rests on a base of tiles. It is a reminder of the horse and buggy era before the prevalence of indoor plumbing. While it served a practical function of watering horses, it also served a social function as a place where people in the local community could gather. The structure was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1976.

References

Infrastructure completed in 1906 Buildings and structures in Des Moines, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Des Moines, Iowa Drinking fountains in the United States 1906 establishments in Iowa {{DesMoinesIA-stub