The American Legion's Push for Land Settlement
Veterans look to fill the expansion of the White Bluffs land settlement project as debates over site development continue.
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Now that the state land settlement project in this valley has been increased from a 58 to a 100-unit project, and the smoke of the battle in Olympia has cleared, those interested in the success of the project agree that a concerted effort should be made to secure settlers for the unselected tracts. The state department of the American Legion is anxious that the entire project be filled with ex-service men and has requested D. S. Scott, director of conservation and development, to appoint a man to recruit among state posts. If, after a few months, a sufficient number of ex-service men cannot be found, the project will likely be thrown open to civilians. At a local meeting, citizens endorsed the recommendation to appoint Fred M. Weil for this recruitment work. While 56 tracts have been turned over to the state, and 28 selected by veterans, many plots are still awaiting infrastructure completion.
“The state department of the American Legion, which has been most instrumental in bringing the project up to its present state, is anxious that the entire project should be filled up with ex-service men.”
This era of veteran-centric land development in the Priest Rapids Valley mirrors the broader regional history of federally and state-backed irrigation projects that transformed the arid landscape. Today, the legacy of these settlements persists in the complex water rights and land management issues governing the Columbia Basin.
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