The oldest water right in Colorado
1852
In April 1852, Dario Gallegos and the other founders of San Luis began digging an acequia by hand to carry water from Culebra Creek to their farms. Known as the San Luis People's Ditch, it holds the first official water right in Colorado, dated April 10, 1852. San Luis itself, founded in 1851, is the oldest continuously occupied town in the state.