When the many Weyerhaeuser tracts were sold in 2004, Swan Trust’s 1100-acre land purchase was surveyed, along with many other properties in the area that shared boundaries with Weyerhaeuser.
The farm of David and Janice Smith, the neighbors who sold Swan Trust 58 acres at the confluence of Cox Branch and Big Swan Creek, was one of those properties with a shared boundary.
When all the surveys were complete, there appeared to be a piece of “no man’s land” – a 140-foot wide strip, 3900 feet long – 10.4 acres in all.
There are some very big trees, inaccessible timber that presumably missed the logger’s saw perhaps more than a century ago.
David made a claim down at the Lewis County courthouse for the property. After establishing ownership, he deeded this forest over to Swan Trust.
The new section shares a boundary with Big Swan Headwaters Preserve and extends across several beautiful ridges and hollows in the watershed. Thank you so much David and Janice for your generosity!