Cannonville in Garfield County, Utah — The American Mountains (Southwest)

A Glass of Water Was a Load of Work

Water Lizard

Photographed by Tom Bosse, June 12, 2025

1. A Glass of Water Was a Load of Work Marker

Inscription.
Before pioneers dug irrigation ditches to reach houses and gardens, they used horses to haul their water from the nearby muddy Paria River - 400 pounds at a time - in a water lizard, a barrel on skids like the one behind you. One household needed several fifty-gallon loads a weeks to drink, cook, wash, and water gardens. How much water do you use each day?

[Insert]: "Too thin to plow, and too thick to drink". - Anonymous

[Captions]:
Left: Harry Quilter filling a water lizard.
Right: At last, a glass of water

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Cannonville Utah Visitor Center (Settlers) series list.

Location. 37° 34.029′ N, 112° 3.269′ W. Marker is in Cannonville, Utah, in Garfield County. It can be reached from the intersection of West Center Street and Main Street / Kodachrome Road, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located at the Cannonville Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10 W Center St, Cannonville UT 84718, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Canyon Country

and specifically in Color Country. It is also in the American Mountain West,

in Colorado Plateau,

and at the Four Corners.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Who Were the Settlers? (here, next to this marker); Working for Water (here, next to this

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marker); A Life in the Land (here, next to this marker); A Tough Row to Hoe (here, next to this marker); One Land, Different Peoples (here, next to this marker); Tending the Wild (a few steps from this marker); Water Willow People (a few steps from this marker); The Water of Life (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cannonville.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, June 12, 2025

2. A Glass of Water Was a Load of Work Marker

Marker is in the middle.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 12, 2025, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 54 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 12, 2025, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.