Department of the Interior
Named in 17 stories. Back to all names
- Jul 22, 1859The Fur Company’s Land Empire Is Declared Public DomainA letter from Washington City reports that the Hudson’s Bay and Puget Sound Agricultural companies’ territorial claims have been ruled forfeit, opening their Nisqually and Fort Vancouver lands to American survey and settlement.Fort Nisqually, DuPont, WA
- Apr 16, 1882The Great Railway Land ScandalA sweeping federal report reveals that major railroad corporations failed to complete thousands of miles of track despite receiving massive federal land grants.Seattle, WA
- May 26, 1882The Farmer’s Cabinet: Why Seattle’s Papers Are Fighting a War in WashingtonAn editorial in the *Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer* argues against elevating the Department of Agriculture to Cabinet status, warning that it would create bureaucratic chaos and ignore the true role of federal oversight.Seattle, WA
- Sep 16, 1883The Fight for Gig Harbor TimberA local settler exposes a land-grabbing ring in Pierce County, accusing them of fraudulent timber claims.Gig Harbor, WA
- Nov 7, 1885Puyallup People Wait on Delayed Land PatentsA century-old battle for property rights reveals how corporate interests and federal delays threatened to dispossess the Puyallup people of their ancestral home.Puyallup Reservation, Tacoma, WA
- Oct 21, 1886Federal Land Decisions in Kittitas CountyThe Interior Department rejects land claims in the Yakima and Walla Walla districts.Kittitas, WA
- Nov 13, 1886The Great Railway Land Grab: Seattle's 1886 Battle Over Public DomainA federal report exposes how the Northern Pacific Railroad claimed millions of acres in Washington Territory without legal authority, triggering a massive reclamation effort.Seattle, WA
- Apr 23, 1889The Midnight Queue for a Piece of Skagit LandWhen the government opened new timber claims, hopeful settlers staged a chaotic, near-violent all-night standoff to be the first in line.Skagit, WA
- Mar 30, 1890Federal Ruling Kills Tide Land SpeculationThe Secretary of the Interior rejects the use of 'Valentine Scrip' for public tide lands, dealing a blow to speculators in Seattle and Tacoma.Seattle, WA
- Sep 4, 1890Federal Land Ruling Paralyzes Yakima ValleyA new Department of the Interior circular abruptly halts all land filings in Yakima and Kittitas counties, invoking federal irrigation laws to freeze regional development.Yakima, WA
- Dec 31, 1891Defending Treaty Fishing RightsFederal authorities signal a crackdown on illegal fishing, reaffirming Indigenous treaty rights from 1866.Yakima, WA
- May 7, 1893A Railroad Across Puyallup Land—With the Tribe’s Consent?Frank C. Ross sends federal officials contracts for a right-of-way through the Puyallup Reservation, testing whether Indigenous consent can authorize construction without Congress.Puyallup Reservation, Tacoma, WA
- Feb 2, 1898Legal Landmark on Colville ReservationA federal judge rules that the north half of the Colville Indian Reservation has been restored to the public domain, shifting jurisdiction to Stevens County.Colville, WA
- Dec 30, 1903The Bureaucratic Bind at PuyallupA legal dispute over private property rights leaves the Interior Department unable to build new structures on the Puyallup Indian School grounds.Tacoma, WA
- Oct 22, 1914Federal Relief for Failed HomesteadersA new act of Congress allows pioneers who lost their land to try again if the initial failure was truly beyond their control.Kennewick, WA
- Sep 22, 1916The Price of Disposal: Colville Reservation Opens to HomesteadingFederal authorities announce the opening of 350,000 acres of the Colville Reservation to white homesteaders, touting the financial management of tribal wealth.Colville Reservation, Nespelem, WA
- Mar 20, 1925The Coming of the DamThe federal government pulls three islands from public entry at Priest Rapids, clearing a major hurdle for a proposed mega-dam.Priest Rapids, White Bluffs, WA