Lees Ferry occupies an area on either side of the Colorado River, while Lonely Dell Ranch nearby on the west bank of Paria Canyon, leaving a space of fertile bottomland available for cultivation.

In 1883, in order to bring water to an upper field, Warren Johnson constructed a dam on a second site higher up the Paria.

In 1905, Irving Pierce constructed a tunnel-and-flume delivery system to replace the ditches bringing water from the upper dam to the fields.

Most of what exists today is related to the Griffin improvements In 1965, the consortium that owned the ranch created two holding ponds for irrigation water against the west wall of Paria canyon.

The Park Service constructed a new holding tank near the south end of the site, at the same time removing remains of the flume system and valve platform for a trail.

The brief writing accused Mormon leaders Brigham Young and George A. Smith of ordering the Mountain Meadows Massacre, for which Lee was convicted and sentenced to die.

Despite some evidence suggesting this is a forgery, historian Will Bagley claims it fits with the historical context and Lee's writing style.

Forensic investigator George Throckmorton, who helped crack the Mark Hofmann forgeries, examined the plate in 2003 and took samples for chemical analysis in 2007.