Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Company
Named in 23 stories. Back to all names
- Nov 28, 1880The $5 Million Railroad Promise That Defined Modern SeattleIn November 1880, local investors secured $5 million to connect Seattle to Walla Walla by rail, sparking an immediate boom and the prediction that the city’s population would hit 30,000 within five years.Seattle, WA
- May 10, 1883When the Mill Went Dry: How a Railroad’s Pipes Put 57 Seattle Men Back to WorkStetson & Post’s mill went dry, idling 57 workers—until a water company and a railroad improvised a pipe connection to get the saws running again.Seattle, WA
- Jan 25, 1884The Railway Reaches the WaterfrontNew rail lines carve a path through the heart of the city’s industrial waterfront, displacing old businesses and promising a new era of commerce.Seattle, WA
- Mar 21, 1884The Railroad Draws a Line in the Mud: Seattle's Tidelands Declared Off-LimitsIn a public notice, the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Company claims every foot of Elliott Bay shore south of King Street — wet sand, deep water and all — and warns the public to keep off without written permission.Seattle, WA
- Jan 24, 1885The Iron Horse Reaches the WaterfrontA festive crowd gathers as the steam locomotive 'A. A. Denny' makes its inaugural run along the new third rail, officially connecting the railway to Seattle's bustling industrial waterfront.Iron Horse, Seattle
- Mar 1, 1885The Tale of Two Towns: A Battle for the DepotAs the railroad bypasses established settlements, a bitter conflict erupts between long-time residents and land speculators creating a brand-new town three miles away.Seattle, WA
- Mar 5, 1885The Industrial Grasping of the TideflatsA legal notice from 1885 reveals the early enclosure of Seattle's waterfront by the railroad, shaping the city's geography for the next century.Seattle, WA
- Apr 5, 1885The Boomtown Frontier: A Steam-Powered Excursion into Kent and Black DiamondIn 1885, Seattle's elite boarded a special train to tour the burgeoning coal-mining boomtowns emerging along the Cedar and Green River valleys.Black Diamond, WA
- Jul 28, 1885A Grand Welcome for Seattle's VisitorsWhen an excursion party arrived in Seattle in 1885, they were treated to a citywide illumination and a clam bake at Port Blakely, sparking a fierce local rivalry over the naming of Mount Rainier.Port Blakely, Seattle, WA
- Aug 26, 1885The High-Fence Strategy Against 'Vagabonds'In an attempt to deter 'traveling vagabonds' from loitering in Seattle's waterfront district, the city's rail companies have erected a 16-foot-high barricade.Commercial Street, Seattle, WA
- Sep 12, 1885Railroad workers fire Chinese employeesThe assistant superintendent of the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad initiates the firing of Chinese laborers along the line to make way for white workers.Seattle, WA
- Feb 11, 1886Organized Pressure Campaign to Expel Chinese ResidentsA report on the growing anti-Chinese labor movement across the Pacific Slope and the violent expulsion of workers from Seattle and Tacoma.Seattle, WA
- Feb 26, 1886The Battle for the TidelandsA public notice asserts private ownership over Seattle's valuable tidelands, signaling a major shift in city land use.King Street, Seattle, WA
- Mar 26, 1886Railroad Claims Exclusive Rights to Seattle Tide LandsThe Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad declares its ownership of the waterfront near King Street, barring public access.Seattle, WA
- Mar 31, 1886Railroad Claims Tide Lands South of Seattle's King StreetThe Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad asserts exclusive control over tide lands south of King Street.King Street, Seattle, WA
- Apr 2, 1886The Privatization of Seattle's WaterfrontThe Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad declares exclusive ownership over tide lands south of King Street, locking the public out of the harbor.King Street, Seattle, WA
- Apr 10, 1886The 'Seattle Idea': A Warning Against Corporate Territorial GrabsIn an 1885 editorial, local papers sounded the alarm over the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Company’s attempt to claim vast swaths of Seattle’s waterfront and tide lands.King Street, Seattle, WA
- Jun 30, 1887The Trimmer Saw's Heavy TollA sawmill accident on the waterfront leads to a high-stakes court battle over worker safety and corporate negligence.Seattle, WA
- Nov 19, 1887The 75-Foot Coal Chute PlungeA dock worker survived a terrifying descent through a ship's coal bunker, landing 75 feet below in the hold.Seattle, WA
- Jan 1, 1889The Seattle Water-Hose Rail War of 1888When two rival railroads fought over a contested stretch of waterfront track, the dispute escalated from legal threats to a chaotic brawl involving barricades, hired detectives, and a fire hose.Front Street, Seattle, WA
- May 25, 1889The Tragic Delusions of a Seattle EngineerAfter his child died, a railroad worker spiraled into a breakdown that ended in a tragic death at the asylum, leaving his family in dire straits.Seattle, WA
- Jul 2, 1889The Seattle Skyline’s Growing PainsDevelopers and City Council clash over property rights, railroad access, and the birth of a brick-and-mortar downtown.Seattle, WA
- Feb 15, 1892The Street That Vanished into the TideA Seattle citizen recalls his lonely fight against a railroad company's takeover of Columbia Street, a legal battle that exposed the city's early history of corporate land giveaways.Columbia Street, Seattle, WA