By the 1920's, flooding was becoming intolerable. Farms and small towns along the Whitewater River valley were being flooded up to 20 times per year. Low lying fields and homes were buried under 15 feet of eroded sand and silt and the once prosperous towns of Beaver and Whitewater Falls were eventually abandoned.

Bridges were washed out and had to be repeatedly rebuilt, highway ditches and culverts became perpetually clogged with sediment and debris; repair and maintenance costs were out of control. Elba, which was once situated on high ground, survived only under the protection of dikes. Finally, in 1938 the Whitewater River flooded 28 times. 1931 the Izaak Walton League of Minnesota, with the support of various local organizations, petitioned the Conservation Commission to establish a game preserve in the Whitewater River Valley . In 1932 the new Department of Conservation purchased the first parcel of land, where the Crystal Springs Trout Hatchery now stands.

The farm land was no longer productive and the farmers were relieved that the State of Minnesota would buy their land, even at a loss. In 1930 workers tearing down the old barn at Crystal Springs discovered the cattle had actually been standing on the hayloft floor; the entire first story was buried under sediment.

A ridge top farm that was purchased for $16,000 in 1916 was sold to the state in 1946 for $4,000. The farmer believed the frost had heaved up rocks and gravel. He did not realize that planting corn up and down the hills led to the loss of all the top soil.

Farms and small towns along the Whitewater River valley were being flooded up to 20 times per year...

Finally, in 1938 the Whitewater River flooded 28 times.

Conservation measures received a boost when President Franklin Roosevelt designed many new programs that became known as the "New Deal". One of these programs was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which began in 1933. The CCC crews did forest management work, erosion control, and constructed buildings and bridges. Many stone structures built by the CCC can still be seen today.

It was a delicate matter to persuade farmers to sign an agreement with the government. Even though many were under financial stress, they were held back by a hearty distrust of the government.