What will probably be the last condemnation suits filed by the City of Tacoma on the Mayfield basin area of the Cowlitz river were entered Monday in Lewis county superior court.
A total of 48 property owners was included in the latest action, made by Quinby R. Bingham, assistant city attorney for Tacoma. Involved are 20 parcels of land.
In October, when Tacoma opened acquisition action to clear the basin area above what will be Mayfield dam, it was indicated more than 80 parcels of land would be involved in efforts to acquire some 2,000 acres of land extending some 13 miles up the Cowlitz river from Mayfield.
On Oct. 28 action was filed against 34 owners of 20 pieces of land, that action to be heard in court Jan. 25. Another filing was Dec. 5 for 46 parcels of land, that action to be hear March 14.
The latest suits filed will be heard in superior court on March 28.
Defendants named in the Monday action are: Wallace and Berlin Osborne, Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Niblack, Mr. and Mrs. William Carter, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Justus, Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm E. Berg, Mr. and Mrs. Don Kaye, Mr. and Mrs. W. Lee Childers, Mr. and Mrs. Chester Spencer, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Stiltner, Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Covalt, Mr. and Mrs. Ingvar L. Finstad, Herbert H. Sieler, Mr. and Mrs. Sigmund Sieler, Mr. and Mrs. William Faas and Mr. and Mrs. Ingvar Osterud.
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon F. Stark, Mr. and Mrs. William C. Swigert, Mr. and Mrs. T. E. Core, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene R. Fleming, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Kinswa, Mr. and Mrs. John Kinswa, Mr. and Mrs. Eino Juppi, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon M. Brown, Mr. and Mrs. George Conley, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Castama, Mr. and Mrs. B. Ludwig, Mr. and Mrs. Ross L. Jenkins, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar L. Wedam, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Birley, Mr. and Mrs. B.H. Westlake, Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Frank McMahan, Mrs. Edith Elsie Rose.
The Federal Land Bank of Spokane, Milwaukee Land Co., Weyerhaeuser Company, Northern Pacific Railroad, National Bank of Washington, Security State Bank of Chehalis, Carlisle Lumber Co., and Lewis county a municipal corporation.
Tacoma first began filing condemnation action on its Cowlitz project area in 1955, although then it acquired only its dam site at Mayfield. On Nov. 17 superior court action opened at Chehalis for property involved in the Mossyrock dam site area, and that has been completed.
Ultimately the city must proceed to acquire land for the storage basin in back of its Mossyrock Dam.
Source: The Daily Chronicle, 15 December 1959, Front page. Microfilm available at Centralia Timberland Library, 110 South Silver, Centralia, WA. 98531
Transcribed by Kathryn Lester