James McNaught
Named in 20 stories. Back to all names
- Feb 2, 1878The Price of Separation in 1878A legal summons published in the Puget Sound Dispatch highlights the harsh reality of divorce proceedings in territorial Seattle.Seattle, WA
- Sep 13, 1880The Captain in the Counting HouseA legal firestorm over whether a retired U.S. Army officer can serve as King County Treasurer.Seattle, WA
- Nov 27, 1880The Sawmill Scandal: Henry Yesler’s Long Legal WarBefore the city grew, Seattle’s founding titan was locked in a decade-long, bitter courtroom battle over his sawmill, revealing the ruthless undercurrents of the frontier economy.Seattle, WA
- Feb 17, 1883Armed Standoff at the Green River Coal MinesA local syndicate and a railroad-backed corporation clash over mineral rights in the Green River country, as hired men and revolvers complicate property disputes.Green River, WA
- Feb 20, 1883The Green River Coal Land DisputeA law firm linked to the Northern Pacific Railroad is accused of using armed men to seize coal-rich land from local settlers.Green River, WA
- Apr 8, 1883The Western Mill CompanyProminent local business leaders organize a new, modern lumber mill on the shores of Lake Union.Lake Union, Seattle, WA
- Aug 19, 1883The Great Seattle Streetcar RaceTwo competing groups of prominent businessmen rush to City Council, proposing a sprawling network of cable and horse-drawn streetcars to reshape the city's growth.Seattle, WA
- Sep 20, 1883The Jackson Street Railroad Takes ShapeThe City Council reviews a massive ordinance granting transit rights across town, from Elliott Bay to the city limits.Commercial Street, Seattle, WA
- Sep 29, 1883The Boom of Chehalis CountyA booster-style report on the rapid growth of the timber and agricultural sectors along Gray's Harbor, highlighting the proposed railroad to Seattle.Gray's Harbor, Aberdeen, WA
- Oct 2, 1883A Dangerous Collision on Mill StreetA frightened team of horses caused chaos in downtown Seattle after a pedestrian struck one of the animals.Seattle, WA
- Dec 16, 1883A Prideful Property Shuffle Among Seattle's McNaught BrothersWhen the McNaughts overdrew their bank accounts by $30,000, they staged a sale to Governor Ferry and a mortgage to a San Francisco firm rather than admit they needed a loan.Seattle, WA
- Mar 28, 1884Seattle Rises Against the Northern PacificA capacity crowd at Yesler's Hall demands the federal government reclaim unearned lands from the Northern Pacific Railroad Company.Seattle, WA
- Apr 1, 1884The Fight for Seattle's Unearned LandA fiery mass meeting in Seattle erupts over the Northern Pacific Railway's grip on public lands.Seattle, WA
- Jun 18, 1884A Cannon Salute for a LocomotiveProminent railroad men visited Seattle in a private coach, prompting a bizarre public spectacle involving a territorial cannon.Seattle Waterfront, Seattle, WA
- May 15, 1885The Railway vs. The Town: A Forcible Relocation in YakimaWhen the Northern Pacific Railroad tried to bypass the original town of Yakima to force residents and businesses to relocate to a new site, the citizens formed a committee to resist—and were met with cold corporate indifference.Yakima, WA
- Nov 1, 1885The Squak Valley Massacre TrialA courtroom drama unfolds as witnesses testify regarding the violent night in 1885 when white men raided a Chinese hop-picking camp.Squak Valley, Issaquah, WA
- Jan 20, 1891The Rockefeller Land Grab: How a $2 Million Deal Bought Seattle’s LakefrontIn January 1891, the massive Lake Washington Belt Line Improvement Company, backed by John D. Rockefeller and former Governor Russell A. Alger, acquired nearly 13,000 acres of eastern Lake Washington shoreline for steel and iron works, signaling the dawn of heavy industry in the Pacific Northwest.Seattle, WA
- Mar 26, 1892The Unbuilt Dream of the Seattle Ship CanalIn 1892, rail giants and civic leaders pressed Congress for a canal to connect Seattle’s lakes to the Sound, arguing that suffocating railroad tracks were strangling local industry.Seattle, WA
- Apr 20, 1895The Canal Fund Creeps Toward Its GoalSeattle’s Lake Washington waterway subsidy inches upward as a Northern Pacific Railroad lawyer promises Eastern capital will do its part.Seattle, WA
- Jun 22, 1895The Man Who Bet on Seattle's Canal—and Rockefeller's LandA railroad executive predicts a canal will make Seattle the greatest harbor on earth, and admits he's been buying up lakefront during the hard times.Seattle, WA