July 14 – August 15, 1885
The Great Land Grab Ends: Northern Pacific's Grip on Washington Territory Loosens
Seattle paper reports federal rulings against Northern Pacific land claims in 1885.
5 reports in Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer, July 14 – August 15, 1885.
The story
In July and August 1885, the Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer reported a series of federal and Land Office actions affecting Northern Pacific Railroad land claims in Washington Territory. One report said a landmark federal decision stripped the railroad of indemnity lands and opened them to homesteading; another said the Land Office cut the railroad's claims by one-third; a third described three government decisions ending the practice of seizing settler homes. The reports also describe settler conflict with the railroad and an interview with a Washington Territory delegate, but they provide few specifics and vary in how broadly they characterize the decisions.
Told from the 5 reports below. The reports are the record.
The archive grouped these reports automatically, by date, place and subject.
The reports 5
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerThe Great Land Grab Ends: Northern Pacific's Grip on Washington Territory Loosens
A landmark federal decision strips a massive railroad monopoly of its indemnity lands, opening vast swaths of Washington to homesteading settlers.
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerThe Fight for the Indemnity Belt
How Washington settlers fought to reclaim land from corporate control, breaking the grip of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerLand Office Cuts Northern Pacific Claims by One-Third
A government intervention restores a third of Northern Pacific's land claims in Washington to the public domain, sparking a bitter feud between settlers and the railroad.
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerThe End of the Railroad Land Grab
A trio of government decisions finally ends the Northern Pacific's long-standing practice of seizing settler homes in Washington Territory.
- Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerThe Fight Against the Rail Barons
A fiery interview with a Washington Territory delegate exposes the 'gentlemanly footpad' tactics used by the Northern Pacific Railroad to seize public land from settlers.
From the pages
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Jul 14, 1885
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Jul 18, 1885
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Jul 26, 1885
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Aug 7, 1885
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer · Aug 15, 1885
Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Public domain.