A few natural disasters hit the area where the Mormon colonies were established . The 1887 Sonora earthquake caused landslides and fires in the mountains affecting mostly the colonies settled on the Sierra Madre Occidental . Some houses in Colonia Díaz suffered damage as a result of the earthquake , mostly the houses roofed with heavy log rafters that were untied to the adobe walls and fell in when the walls collapsed . Heavy and unexpected snowfall would also affect the colony 's crop business . Colonia Díaz sat along the flood-prone banks of the Casas Grandes River . In 1908 heavy rains overflowed the river , which flooded Colonia Díaz and most of the surrounding fields . The flood washed away the precautionary sandbags and the town 's levee , as well as houses and furniture . Many residents lost their business from the flood
1887 Sonora earthquake
1887 Sonora earthquake
Colonia Díaz