Because of their late arrival, the pioneers were very anxious to get crops planted
in order that they would mature before the winter weather began. The very evening the pioneers
arrived at the mouth of the Wash, a meeting was called for the purpose of selecting committees
to lay off the land and to manage work on a canal with which to irrigate their fields. The
ditch committee was composed of three members, while the survey of the land was placed
in the hands of five of the party (Jones 23).
The morning following the meeting, while most of the men began working on the canal, a temporary survey of the land began. As the land was laid off, it was discovered there was not as much irrigable land available as was first believed. The preliminary survey, made with the assistance of rope chains, indicated there were sixteen acres for each of the sixty families who had arrived (Albert R. Lyman). After discovering there was not enough land at Bluff for all the families in the company, a meeting was called on the tenth of April, at which it was moved and carried that the group should draw lots to see who was to receive land at Bluff, and who was to go on to the Montezuma site (Platte D. Lyman 256).
Before the drawing, Platte D. Lyman "stressed the fact that Montezuma was their original destination; that the families already there were expecting them, hopefully waiting for help to come" (Jones 25). The majority would have to go on.
To determine who was to receive land at Bluff, twenty-two blanks and forty numbers were placed in a hat, those drawing blanks being the ones who would move up the river (Platte D. Lyman 256). Apparently the group was willing to abide by the decision of the drawing before it occurred, for no mention is found of dissatisfaction with the plan. After the drawing, however, considerable unrest was exhibited. The afternoon and evening after the drawing, a second meeting on the subject of land distribution had to be held, at which a great amount of dissatisfaction was displayed by those who had drawn blanks. They contended they should be allowed to remain with the others at Bluff for they were unable to move on (Albert R. Lyman 86). James Pace, who had drawn a number, and was therefore assured a lot at Bluff, proposed the drawing be thrown out and that all share alike in Bluff. This motion was not carried and more unhappiness was manifested by those who had drawn no lots, in addition to ". . .a very illiberal feeling by those who are elected to stay here" (Platte D. Lyman 257).
The following day the leaders of the community attempted to harmonize the discordant element among the settlers. That evening another stormy meeting was held in which a motion to send the holders of blanks further up the river, if a suitable place could be found, was carried. Still some of the men were unhappy with the arrangement and prevailed upon Platte Lyman to call yet another meeting to discuss the issue. They continued to insist that some allocation should be worked out whereby all the settlers could remain in Bluff. During this meeting most of the forenoon was spent in "adjusting. . .difficulties during which a good and conciliatory spirit was generally manifest" (Platte D. Lyman 258). It was decided to disallow the previous drawing and all share in the land at Bluff, with the understanding that those who had claims from the previous season, when the exploring party had come through with Silas Smith, would throw them into the hands of the camp. After this arrangement had been agreed upon, fifty-nine persons drew one lot each. A general feeling of satisfaction was felt in the company at this compromise (Platte D. Lyman 258).
While this haggling over the land went on, work on the ditch came to a virtual standstill. It also kept the people from moving out of their wagons into other shelters, or even finding a permanent place to park their wagons. Everyone in the company was not unhappy with the original drawing apparently, or at least did not vent their dissatisfaction by staying to argue about it, for some of them moved on to Montezuma immediately after the first drawing(Albert R. Lyman 86).
Because of the large number of persons remaining at Bluff, the town lots had to be small. Each town lot was somewhat smaller than an acre, having 144 square rods,(One acre equals 160 square rods), and the field lots varied from eight to twenty acres each, according to the location and quality of the land. Each head of a household received one town lot and one field lot(Platte D. Lyman 257).
The survey which had been temporarily done upon first arriving at the townsite was measured once again in 1885 (Perkins, et al., op.cit.), and still again in 1903. Only the 1903 plat is available, but it is assumed the previous surveys were very similar.
The river, at the time of the arrival of the settlers, ran almost due west through the center of the valley, making land available on both sides of the stream. The land south of the river was not used and has since been almost all flooded away. The settlers could not use the south bank of the river because the Navaho Indian reservation extended from within Arizona to the south bank of the San Juan. The Mormons were, therefore, restrained by law from use of the south bank.
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