The search for water is an interesting chapter in Lassen County history. However, who would have thought that an civil engineer proposed to tap Butte Lake, in remote Lassen County for irrigation in the Honey Lake Valley. It was 1916, an William Wales of the Honey Lake Valley Irrigation District saw Butte’s for its potentional, especially since no one had filed claim to its water. Wales proposed a canal would be constructed from Butte Creek to Poison Lake, and then onto Pine Creek. From there the water would flow naturally into Eagle Lake. At that point a tunnel would be constructed to convey water into Willow Creek, and from there would flow naturally into the Honey Lake Valley. Due to litigation in the early 1920s the project was abandoned.