An agreement was entered into between the local management of the Farmers Canal company, and Jesse Harrison and others, whereby the latter agreed to build and complete the canal for $400,000. Because of the stringency in the money market, and the lack of financial ability of the Harrison company, the deal fell through. In the meantime individuals along the route had been induced to take up and excavate sections of the canal, for which they in some cases received part money, part goods and part was to apply upon their water rights.

In the end the company went broke, and the local people lost practically even-thing they possessed, along with the wreck. Colburn had found it impossible to raise the amount that he had anticipated. Then due perhaps to wornover what seemed the poor investments, Mr. Colburn died. Quite a few of the investors held canal stock and others had lands. For the most part the lands were in the name of Colburn as trustee.

At his death, William H. Wright was appointed the trustee, and how faithfully he fulfilled the trust was shown by the ultimate report, that brought back to each investor the sum invested together with interest for the full time the money had been out of hand.

Eventually the ditch was sold to H. G. Leavitt and associates, and while it cost many times the original estimates, and while there was no doubt some waste and losses in the construction, it is pronounced by experts and engineers as one of the finest structural accomplishments in all the history of irrigation.