Gunnison gathers to celebrate its ditches

Community members gathered in Legion Park on Saturday to celebrate the long history of the ditches that make this town possible.

Attendees sang along with Philip Handmaker as he played a song written for the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District by local singer-songwriter Chris Coady “The River Runs Through Us.” 

After his strums stopped there was no silence, only the light hum of the water running through the ditch that surrounds the park. 

“The sound of the ditches just soothes the soul,” said county commissioner Jonathan Houck.

“The ditches are our way of borrowing benevolence from our river,” said Handmaker, sporting a shirt which read “Son of a Ditch.” 

The day was a celebration of community and a celebration of ditches that have carried said community for 146 years. 

“We live on a ditch, I grew up on a ditch. I love them, they’re a hassle but they’re worth it,” said Handmaker.  

Brooke Zanetell, born and raised in Gunnison, is a professor at Western and serves on the board of directors at the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District. As the primary organizer of the event, Zanetell made sure to help educate attendees on the history of the ditches, and the importance of the water in the Gunnison basin, especially this year. 

“While we look to the east for the threat of water grabs from the front range, and look to the west in fear of more releases from Blue Mesa, we need to wake up and realize that the real water grab from 2026 is from within. We, as citizens of Gunnison, and the City of Gunnison are partners and we work together. The city government are good people and they want to work for us, but we need it to be involved and active and tell them what we want,” said Zanetell, informing the crowd of the plans for the new water intake structure that aim to aid the city in expansion. “They have plans to use a 1800s water right to build a water intake structure at Palisades to take six million gallons of water per day from the river for a full build.” 

After speeches from city council member Loren Ahonen, county commissioner Jonathan Houck, Elisa Elsberry, Race Lessar, Camren Hovey and Zoe Keith and Zanetell, the crowd shuffled through the grass and headed for the ditch. 

Some of the county’s religious leaders gathered for an interfaith blessing of the ditches that have flowed through Gunnison since the 1880s. Introduced by Gunnison High School sophomore Lucia Handmaker, Rev. Laura Osborne, Ian Wrisley, Matt Neufel and Greg Kruthaupt spoke, encouraging physical connection to the water, bringing community members together with a reminder that we are a part of the water cycle.

“These ditches aren’t just infrastructure,” said Neufel. “May these waters continue to flow in this valley.” 

Community members knelt down to the flowing water and held each other's shoulders.

“The question that should be asked is not how to change and expand but how to maintain a legacy that's benefited us for 146 years,” said Zanetell, urging community members to attend Tuesday’s city council meeting.