The ballfields host competitions for the Babe Ruth League and various high school sports in Lewis County, acting as home field for W.F. West High School.
History
The land was originally owned by Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services, making it state property. In 1970, the park was named after Stan Hedwall, a former Chehalis parks director and Lewis County commissioner.[3][4] A 55-year agreement to lease the area to Chehalis was signed in 1971; the annual payment was $750.[5] In 1972, the park began to be built in part from a grant by Washington's Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation. Prior, the grounds were used as farmland maintained by students at the Green Hill School, a juvenile detention center.[1][4] Early attempts to clear the land were undertaken by Green Hill students in mid-1972 as a public relations tour to offset ongoing negative impacts of escapes and runaway crimes.[6]
The land was officially annexed by the city in September 1972.[7] The parcel was originally listed at 170 acres (69 ha)[a] and construction, based on a two-year timetable at a cost of $467,000, began in late 1972. Early plans included lighted Babe Ruth ballfields, fields for softball and girl's league baseball, multi-use fields for other sports, multiple grandstands, a swimming area at the river, camping areas, hiking trails and bridges over the Newaukum, parking lots, concession stands, outdoor picnic facilities, playgrounds, and a 10-acre (4.0 ha) ornamental garden.[8] The garden had small plots available for lease to residents and was known as the "pea patch" program.[9][10]
The scope and funding was the largest of its type, as well as for a city the size of Chehalis, at the time.[8] Despite help in constructing six ballfields from an engineering battalion of the Washington National Guard in 1973,[11] the park struggled to meet its timeline by the summer of 1974, due to issues of a lack of resources and city help in finishing the ballfields.[12] By mid-1974, light poles had been installed and the concession stand was finished,[13] and the fields were used of the 1974 Babe Ruth league state tournament.[14] Stan Hedwall Park was considered fully open in 1975, notwithstanding concerns over a lack of funding and deletion of proposed amenities,[15] and Chehalis residents were credited with raising $117,000 to help fund the completion of the park.[16]
A major flood in December 1975 submerged 70% of the park with floodwater.[17] The 100-year flood of 1996 also inundated the grounds, inducing damages to the park.[18]
After various attempts to purchase the park, the city succeeded in January 2014 when an accommodation was made by the state to list the land as surplus and transfer, by deed, ownership to Chehalis for zero dollars.[1][4]
Sports and events
The park hosts a Babe Ruth League and is used for high school sports in the county often as a home field for W.F. West High School, such as the school's track and field event, the Bearcat Invitational.[19][20]
The park contains ball fields for softball and little league baseball, areas for volleyball and soccer, playgrounds, RV parking, and three miles of trails. The Newaukum River winds thru the forested, southern portion of the park and the river is accessible to visitors for fishing and water activities.[23]
