Before voters agreed to form the Nevada Irrigation District in 1921, there was a vision.

In the summer of 1917, Penn Valley ranchers Kate “Ma” Church and her husband, Bert, drove their cattle to the lush meadows of the Sierra Nevada, leaving behind foothill pastures browned by summer heat. Like many ranching families of the era, they relied on this annual migration in search of water and grazing land.

As the story goes, Ma looked at the abundance of mountain water and imagined a different future: What if that water could be brought down to the foothills instead of forcing families to follow it each year?

It was a simple idea, but a powerful one.

Across Nevada County, farmers and ranchers faced the same challenge. There was too little water during the long, dry summers. Ma’s vision reflected a growing belief that the region’s future depended on securing a reliable water supply. What began as a shared need soon became a community movement.

On August 5, 1921, local voters overwhelmingly approved the formation of the Nevada Irrigation District. Ten days later, on August 15, NID was officially established, and its first Board of Directors met in Grass Valley.

The years that followed were defined by determination and ingenuity. The new district secured water rights and assembled a network of canals, reservoirs, and infrastructure—much of it built upon water systems first developed during the Gold Rush.

The creation of NID transformed the foothills. What began as an idea on a summer cattle drive became a lasting investment in agriculture, communities, recreation, and economic growth.

More than a century later, that vision continues to flow through the region, delivering water, supporting livelihoods, and sustaining the communities that call Nevada and Placer counties home.