The Battle for the Calispel Valley
Landowners face a major legal fight as the Calispel diking district moves to reclaim thousands of acres of submerged land.
Calispel diking district No. 1, which includes several thousand acres of submerged land in the Calispel valley, has filed a petition with the Superior Court praying for condemnation of the necessary easements to complete a diking project. F. H. McLeish and about 50 other land owners are named as defendants. The total approximate cost of the project is estimated at $33,648, with lands divided into two classes for assessment purposes. The lands are currently submerged by an inflow of water from the Pend Oreille River through a narrow passage at Cusick, where the dike is proposed to be established.
“The diking of the Calispel valley will reclaim thousands of acres of valuable agricultural lands.”
The transformation of wetlands into agricultural land was a hallmark of early 20th-century development in the Pacific Northwest. Today, these projects are often viewed through the lens of environmental restoration, making this historical push for 'reclamation' a stark contrast to modern ecological priorities.
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