I see self-sufficiency as a good thing for individuals and the planet.

Anyway, you need to evaluate the environmental conditions of your site to determine which is the most cost-effective of your many options.

If your site regularly gets wind, then a windmill will be cost-effective. You can buy a good one of eBay for maybe $3,000 and you'll spend another $2,000 installing it into a well. But, if maintained it will supply water for the rest of your life and beyond.

If you get regular sun, there are many companies that sell well pumps designed to be run off photovoltaic panels. Depending on the depth of the well and your needs, it can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 for a reliable system. If your creek water is drinkable, you could conceivably do it even cheaper.

There are companies that also sell high-tech hand pumps for wells. These are relatively inexpensive and could supply water in an emergency.

Anyway, good luck. Your goal is plenty achievable.

My husband and I are working toward becoming less reliant on oil and, with that, electricity. We have installed solar panels, but are not off-grid yet. Since we do not yet have batteries (for the solar), we are still vunerable to having no access to our well water should the power be out longer than our propane-powered back-up generator lasts. We are planning to get a hand-pump for our well this fall, from a company called Bison Pumps, which is semi-local for us here in Maine. It is also a relatively inexpensive option which enables us to supplement, not replace our current set-up.
Best of luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bison Pumps

We grew up in a home where the well was in the basement, and there was a cistern by the garage. We drank cistern water, don't think it was filtered either. We never lacked for water, in NE Ohio, but we didn't have a washer for clothes or have a dishwasher either.

My parents currently have a cistern, (Central Kentucky). They filled with city water the first time, and haven't filled it since. They have a clothes washer. They don't drink the cistern water, Dad drinks only distilled because of kidney stones. Theirs is filtered through sand as it goes into the cistern.

I have a trough under the eaves spout at the barn for horse water. We fill it as needed, but it seems there is always some water in it, even with horses that can drink 10 to 15 gallons a day.

I want a rain barrel under my front porch, we have whiskey barrels available, I had a half barrel for years that I used to water the garden. That never went dry in 8 years. Ice broke out the bottom in the last hard freeze this winter. I'll get another here shortly.

They need to have a hose spigout to be truly conveient. Still, its an outside source of water, free water at that. oh, yeah, I keep gold fish in mine to eat the bugs. Never have needed to feed them, and they freeze pretty well if you let the bottom get muddy.

Something to think about.
Kitty

Thanks for the input everyone.
I actually have two 60gal rain collection barrels. I'm considering adding more, but the idea of somehow filling a very large one appeals to me more. Any thoughts on where to purchase?
The rain barrels do solve my water problem as far as flushing toilets and watering the garden, just not showers & drinking/dish water.
stoneunhenged, I do have lots of wind in my area. I considered using it to charge batteries and then run off them. The pump does draw a lot of power though.
I could use a dual wind/solar combo?
Thanks
Tom