Lots of irrigation as these properties are near the Snake River.

Before the 1900’s, this part of Idaho was a mix between a desert and grassy plains, better suited for grazing a few animals than farming. By the beginning of the 20th century, homesteaders began spreading across the entire country, and needed to farm to survive and earn money. While the nearby Snake River provides water, the water comes too fast during the spring, with the winter run off flooding large sections of farmland. During the fall, not enough water reaches the farmland to sustain the crops and the crops die before the harvest.

In 1902, with the passing of the Newlands Reclamation Act, the Federal Government, under Theodore Roosevelt, set aside money to create dams and irrigation canals across the US in order to store the water and allow more people to farm successfully.