There was gold in the hills, and the miners in the first years of the California Gold Rush couldn’t get after it fast enough. In the years following the discovery, intrepid prospectors continued to pan the gravelly bottom of the American River for the precious yellow flakes, but those interested in a bigger payday quickly moved to the flat benchlands above the river to pry their reward from the soil. Separating gold from the earth required water, and it was that need which created the origins of an enterprise that would become the San Juan Water District.