 The route of the modern canal is partly original, especially close to the outlet, but large portions have been re-routed over time as irrigation needs have changed.Much of the abandoned original route is still visible within the park, however, as the warm water emerging from the Well contains a high concentration of lime, which over many centuries was deposited along the canal walls as the water cooled downstream; the accumulated lime has since hardened into a cement-like coating, preserving the canal's shape.The existence of the Well was almost unknown to European Americans before the publishing of "Handbook to Arizona" by Richard J. Hinton in 1878.