The town continued on until 1906 when the population started to decline after settlers grew weary of struggling for years
to divert the Virgin River and floodwaters reduced the amount of land to farm. The settlers were compelled to look
elsewhere for homes. According to the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the "Grafton Historic District,"
Polly Hart wrote that "there were several important factors that led to the ultimate demise of this small community.
Irrigated land at Grafton was severely limited, and it was all claimed by the first generation of settlers. As children grew
up and created families of their own, there was no available farm land, and they were forced to look elsewhere to make a
living. Furthermore, modern utilities such as electricity and running water were never introduced to Grafton, which
provided further incentive for the younger generations to move away. The Virgin River was unpredictable and could rise
as much as four feet in a single day, destroying dams and washed away farm land. The final blow that led to the
abandonment of Grafton was the construction of the Hurricane Canal in 1906."