Sometime in the 1850s or early 1860s, the Mt. Brow Ditch was constructed to bring water from Littlejohns Creek to near Knights Ferry. In October 1865, Abraham Schell, owner of the Rancho del Rio Estanislao land grant (Grant), conveyed the water right, ditch, dams, flumes, and reservoirs to Thomas and Daniel Spicer for $2,500. Known as the Mt. Brow Ditch, the water was to be used for irrigation and mining purposes and diverted from a dam on Littlejohns Creek, located “about one-quarter mile eastward of the dwelling house formerly owned by James Tyson.” The ditch ran southerly along the hills to the left (west) of the creek to the head of Fox’s Gulch, about one-half mile eastward of Knights Ferry.
The deed also included a branch from the main ditch from near “Sabin’s Old Place,” running westerly in a serpentine course toward Mt. Brow, nearly 5 miles, with the right to flume any branch or to change its location. The system included all the reservoirs, except the “Big Reservoir” on top of Goat Hill (on Gopher Ridge), which was retained by Schell, who also retained the right to build fences and construct roads 1. The dam for this reservoir, which fed Schell’s operation on the Grant, was of peculiar construction, built with flat pieces of slate. It washed out many years ago.
In April 1866, Thomas Spicer sold the Mt. Brow Ditch to his son Daniel for $200, along with Truett’s Ditch (described above) 2. The following year, Daniel conveyed the ditch to his mother, along with the Tyson Place 3. The assessment for Daniel and Thomas Spicer for 1876 noted that the ditch took water from near the old Tyson Ranch and extended to the county line. When Mary Ann (Spicer) Flower deeded her property to her husband Nathan Flower in 1883, it included the “Mt. Brow or Spicer Ditch” 4. From this point on, the ditch was assessed to Nathan Flower, and the ranch is still known as the “Flowers Ranch,” although it recently was purchased by others.