At Friday morning’s monthly meeting of the Lewis County mayors and commissioners, a resolution was created requesting the Washington State Transportation Commission to rename the U.S. Highway 12 Riffe Lake overlook for former county commissioner Gary Stamper, who died of COVID-19 in September 2021.
The transportation commission allows for the renaming of state transportation facilities, including highways, bridges, rest areas and overlooks.
Less than half a mile east of the Mossyrock Dam, the overlook on U.S. Highway 12 offers a panoramic view of Riffe, the largest lake in Lewis County.
When the Mossyrock Dam was built in 1968, the lake overtook the towns of Riffe and Kosmos. Stamper grew up in Riffe before spending most of the rest of his life in Mossyrock.
“Stamper helped spearhead efforts to remove trees that were blocking the views from the overlook, which is located in Commissioner District 3, the district commissioner Stamper represented,” read the resolution.
He worked as an educator and basketball coach at Mossyrock High School before taking over as principal of White Pass Junior-Senior High School.
“Commissioner Stamper’s commitment to the region stretched far beyond the local classrooms, basketball courts and county lines,” stated the county’s resolution.
