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It was a complete accident that we were among the first to leave and, therefore, one of the elite group who managed to grab a huge chunk of prime land.  We had so much that we even sold some to a carefully chosen few who we knew would help protect our new acreage.  We were generous enough with them that they didn't turn inward, and they were possessive enough to arm their outward borders.  I was lucky that I knew at least a little about land, and was able to claim some with source water, instead of merely downstream water.  Natural springs would stay clean, but downstream could be blocked, diverted, or even poisoned.