Rural Heritage December 2025/January 2026

ranch there is evidence of the efforts undertaken over the years to water stock. Bruce and his late wife Linda purchased the ranch in 1975. They asked the previous owners what one thing they would do to improve the ranch. The answer was, “Bring Scotty Spring water to the house.” At that time, it was an arduous trip each

direction to fill jugs at the springs and bring them back home. The springs watered more wildlife than anything else. The goal of bringing Scotty Spring water to the house never left Bruce’s mind, but it took nearly 20 years before he could start to see how it might be done, and then it took another 20 years to achieve the goal.

A US Geological Survey map annotated with ownership of ranches (in blue) in the vicinity of Scotty Springs Ranch circa 1975. Two canyons dominate the area: Hell on the right and Chilson on the left. Flat topped divides between canyons provide grazing. The Scotty Springs ranch house is upper center in Chilson Canyon. The springs are the blue dots far right in Hell Canyon. The yellow line indicates the rough and, in places, steep trail from the ranch house to the springs. The brown dotted line indicates the approximate location of the modern pipeline. The tan lines indicate elevations; the closer they are, the steeper the terrain. Elevations of key parts of this story are shown.

December 2025/January 2026

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