Moeller Commentary: Who Owns Centralia’s Plummer Lake Anyway?

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An intriguing heading to this column, what? You’ll likely say, “What a stupid question, it’s owned by the city of Centralia.” Wrong. Here’s what I’ve learned, beginning first by simply reading Volume One of “Our Home Towns,” (one of a set of three photo histories of Lewis County published by this newspaper) along with a quick trip to the Lewis County Assessor’s Office.

I don’t suppose there are many Centralia citizens who don’t know that the city was founded by a person of quarter African-American lineage, named George Washington. A gathering to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth will be held Aug. 12, in, of course, George Washington Park in front of the library.

Since he couldn’t qualify for a homestead he purchased 640 acres from his foster parents who could, land that stretched from a line near Borst Park all the way to the foot of Seminary Hill. 

He then sold a good-sized chunk of it in the southwest corner to a man named Sidney Plummer. As you know, if you’ve ever tried to dig a shovel into the soil around Centralia, there are a lot of glacial rocks imbedded. Well, Sidney and his wife, Ellen, formed “Twin City Sand and Gravel Co.” and started digging and crushing the more than abundant supply available.

A great 1910 photo in that aforementioned local history volume shows the digging of the first hole, along with the massive equipment needed for such an operation. Eventually, Sidney and Ellen deeded the land to their son, Arthur.      

Until Interstate 5 was built, taking the west portion of the property there was even a bath house and swimming beach on that side of the lake, which had been created by the digging operation.

Arthur Plummer built that motel you see on the south side of the lake. Other property along the shore was platted and sold for the upscale housing there today.

So, who owns the lake itself? I was reasonably sure that the city of Centralia owns the pieces of the shoreline on which the boat launching ramp sits, along with the small park named after long-time park board member and booster Walter “Brick” Wagner. 



Would you be surprised to learn that the owners of the ground on which the lake sits are four people who my mentor, the late beloved columnist Gordon Aadland would have referred to as four ladies in sensible shoes: Sara Calvert, Carol Kellog Pitts, Louise Vogel and Paula Vogel Voos?

They’ve been paying taxes on it every year, as a short trip to the county assessor’s office recently verified! 

So, has everyone who has ever caught — or tried to catch — a fish or floated a small boat on the lake been guilty of trespassing on private property? Is the state Department of Fish and Wildlife breaking any law by stocking a privately owned body of water? In all my time in city government I can’t remember ownership of the lake ever coming up.  

I’m assuming that Borst Lake, across the highway from Plummer Lake, is city property, along with Hayes Lake, on the other side of the Skookumchuck River. But who can even be sure of that since this information surfaced? It’s again time to quote the King of Siam from a stage and movie musical who said, “’Tis a puzzlement.” I’m sure I’ll have more to report next week.

 There’s another interesting twist that became known just as this column was going to press. I love now being qualified to use all those newspaper clichés.

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Bill Moeller is a former entertainer, mayor, bookstore owner, city council member, paratrooper and pilot living in Centralia. He can be reached at bookmaven321@comcast.net.