Independent Ranchman's Ditch, Mesa County, Colorado [1883] Mesa Colorado USA A ditch begun by ranchers in early Mesa County. Begun around 1883, it provided water to what would soon become the town of Fruita and the area around it. In 1886, it was joined with the Pacific Slope Ditch, Mesa County Ditch, and Grand Valley Canal. (Grand Valley Canal by William Joe Simonds for the Bureau of Reclamation) yes yes Independent Ranchmans DitchRanchmen's Ditch