The Columbia Basin Development League was organized in March, 1963 as the Basin Development Committee in an attempt to promote more orderly development of the Columbia Basic Project. There was a real fear that the project was dying for lack of federal interest. Statistics revealed that the annual appropriations for the project declined markedly from the early 1950s to the early 1960s. In addition there was a radical decline in water service to additional lands after 1955. The first officers of the Basin Development Committee, Dale Jeffries of Royal City, chairman, Paul Hamilton of Ephrata, secretary, and Logan Beam of Moses Lake, treasurer, attempted to reverse this decline through a local organization. The Basin Development Committee was reorganized in September, 1964, as the Columbia Basin Development League, a non-profit corporation. The incorporators were Ned Thomas, James H. Taylor, M. H. Cherf, Logan O. Beam, Willard F. Hess, Edward J. Emry, and Richard A. Leith. The organization consisted of a president, vice-president, treasurer, an executive committee of eight and a forty member board of trustees chosen by the membership. Thomas was elected first president. Other past presidents include Robert G. Allen (Pasco), E. Roy Mundy (Ephrata), and David A. Gallant (Pasco).
The stated goal of the organization is to promote the completion of the full 1,095,000 authorized acres of the Columbia Basin Project, thereby stimulating economic activity in the Columbia Basin and bringing increased prosperity to the residents.
From the guide to the Columbia Basin Development League Records, 1965-1976, (Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections)
