Pioneer settlers were drawn to this valley by its fertile soil and abundant water, then with small slip scrapers, hand plows, picks, and shovels they cleared sagebrush, built log homes, and made canals, ditches, and dams to bring water onto the land. One of the first canals was built in 1879-1880, and rock and brush dams diverted water into headgates, though men lost their lives in the work. Later, canals were enlarged and better dams were built. The largest dam, known as the Great Feeder, was completed June 22, 1895, and diverts water from the South Fork into a network of canals. Through consolidation of canal systems, 700,000 acres of irrigated land with 100 canals, known as the Upper Portion of District No.36, use 4,150,000 acre feet of water from the river and its tributaries each irrigation season, fulfilling the dream of reclaimed desert and forming the pioneers' legacy to present and future generations.