Sometime in the 1920’s, a large flash flood destroyed much of the Cross Orchards ranch and the surrounding area. Charles Buttolph, manager at the orchard at the time the flood occurred, recalled that it was sunny at the time. A cloudburst in the Bookcliffs unleashed a torrent that came from miles away, following a wash that cut north and south through the valley and through the middle of the Cross Ranch. The wash followed the route of 31 Road, which was effectively destroyed by the widening of the arroyo. The water crested at about six feet high on either side of the wash, and took out fruit trees, other crops and bridges. It also destroyed a portion of the old Midland Trail, which ran on the south side of the farm. Oral history interviewee Harold Zimmerman describes feeling and hearing the rumble of large rocks that had been swept from the Bookcliffs through the wash.
