Iosepa was an inhospitable location for any group of people. Most of the colonists were from Hawaii, though others were from different parts of Polynesia, and Skull Valley is desert, quite unlike the islands they had left. The Iosepans worked hard to improve their new home and eke out a living. The company purchased a sawmill and built homes, a church, school, and store. They also developed an extensive irrigation system to bring water from the Stansbury Mountains, allowing fields, lawns, and flowerbeds to be watered in the middle of the desert. The people planted crops, raised pigs, and even constructed ponds for raising carp and trout. They did their best to adapt or replace traditional foodstuffs not native to Utah, substituting a mixture of flour and cornstarch for poi and experimenting with growing their own seaweed and other island products. Cattle and sheep were raised under the church-managed Iosepa Agricultural and Stock Company. They also built a small reservoir, called Kanaka Lake, where they could swim and have lakeside picnics. In 1899, residents of other parts of the state converged on Iosepa for an Arbor Day celebration in which they planted 300 walnut trees, 300 fruit trees, and 100 ornamental trees. The town became known for its neat streets lined with yellow roses, and in 1911 even won the state prize for the best kept and most progressive city in the state of Utah.