NORTHWEST IRRIGATION COMPANY DITCH-Verl Poll (L), Harold Rollins, Ralph Warner, (?) and Lee Rollins inspect ditch for possible leaks Water Makes the Land Beautiful Water soon became the economic life blood of the early Pioneers. Those who moved from the lower valley into Mountain Green were no exception. The mountain soil was very fertile and a water supply was right handy in nearby Cottonwood Creek. The problem was that because the headwater area of the creek had been over¬grazed that by the middle of July the creek was dry. What had been a wild, rushing torrent in the spring soon turned to dry rocks and dust, just when the crops needed water most. The person who said that money is the root of all evil hadn't heard of irriga¬tion water. Thus at first each land owner began to figure out in their own dev¬ious way, how to get water and get it first. There was located on the Parrish ranch a natural site for an ample reservoir. A five mile ditch out of Cottonwood Creek would be required and it was decided by some that the first to file on the water and start the ditch would have all the water regardless of where the reservoir was located. A devious plan that didn't work. By the time the ditch diggers arrived at the borderline of the Parrish ranch they discovered that the owner, Joel Parrish, had already started his own ditch to the reservoir on his land. 79