Its waters made possible the irrigation of a million fertile acres despite a 39-year battle over water rights. From 1882 forward, 150 lawsuits were filed, and early irrigators often used armed force to open headgates to water their crops. L. A. Nares proposed the first diversion plan in 1897. Broader agreements in 1921 and 1927 brought peace. Completion of Pine Flat Dam in 1956 by the U.S. Corps of Engineers for flood control and irrigation finally insured maximum use of the river's water, nearly all farmer-owned.