Centralia Parks and Recreation Master Plan - City of Centralia, WA

northwestern portion of Lewis County, flowing through the
central region into the Pacific Ocean at Grays Harbor. A
principal tributary, the Skookumchuck River along with China,
Coffee and Salzer Creeks, drain the foothills surrounding
Centralia.
There are a total of 216 lakes in Lewis County with a surface area
of 14,915 acres. Most of these lakes are located in the Cascades
and adjoining foothills within national forest lands, and are
available for fishing and other recreational uses.
Fort Borst, Hayes and Plummer Lakes in the central region
within the Centralia area are fed by the Skookumchuck River.
However, their boundaries and drainage characteristics over time
have been altered by flood control improvements, the
construction of Interstate 5 and related urban developments.
A variety of anadromous fish including Coho, Chinook and chum
salmon, steelhead and chad inhabit Lewis County’s rivers, lakes
and streams. Rainbow, cutthroat and brook trout are among
freshwater resident fish that are harvested extensively during
season. Hatchery-spawned trout are used regularly to restock
these species in lakes and streams.
Much of the land in the
central region was one
timbered, but has since
been logged and
cultivated for farms or,
more recently, for
residential development.
Just scattered stands of
the original timber
remain.
Primary tree species are Douglas fir, western hemlock, western
red cedar lodgepole pine, western white pine, Sitka spruce, grand
fir, noble fir and Alaska yellow cedar. Stands are smaller on the
steeper and higher mountainous slopes but the stand is usually as
dense as elsewhere in the region. Most of the marketable timber
has been removed from lower-lying lands but virgin timber
stands are still found in the higher elevations.
The central region surrounding Centralia is important habitat for
pheasant, ruffed grouse, blue grouse and bandtailed pigeons. The
area’s bogs, sloughs and wetlands are vital nesting/resting places
for geese, mallard duck, green-winged teal, wood duck and other
migratory waterfowl.
1D. Historical Highlights – Trade,
Transportation, Tourism
Exploration parties from Fort Vancouver in the 1820s first
scouted the area that is now Lewis County. French Canadians
settled on the Cowlitz Prairie shortly later, and in 1833 the
Hudson’s Bay Company founded Cowlitz Farm on this site. The
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City of Centralia Parks and Recreation Plan