McNaught & Leary
Named in 11 stories. Back to all names
- Dec 18, 1871The Rules of the Game: How Seattle's First Lawyers Codified the Fight for LandWhen the Washington Territorial legislature overhauled the rules of civil procedure, they essentially wrote the blueprint for how Seattle’s developers and land speculators would battle over the city’s footprint for decades to come.Seattle, WA
- Jan 8, 1872Divorcing the 'Unsuitable': Seattle Legal Notices from 1872Public legal notices reveal the stark reality of marital dissolution in early Seattle, where 'incompatibility' and 'neglect' served as grounds for separation in the King County District Court.Seattle, WA
- Jan 15, 1872The Great 'Puget City' Real Estate ScamPromoters are peddling worthless 'paper towns' to investors by falsely claiming the Northern Pacific Railroad will build its western terminus there.Seattle, WA
- Aug 19, 1876The Sheriff’s Hammer: A King County Farm Sold for Debt in the Heart of SeattleIn August 1875, the King County Sheriff stood on the courthouse steps to auction off a stranger's land to satisfy a judgment, turning the nascent town's civic center into a marketplace for foreclosures.King County Courthouse, Seattle, WA
- Oct 5, 1876The Unclaimed 480-Acre HomesteadA prime piece of King County farmland near Lake Washington goes on the market as the region's early real estate rush begins to accelerate.Coal Creek, Newcastle, WA
- Mar 8, 1877The Hilltop Inferno: Arson Claims a Seattle LandmarkWhen the residence of J.P. Robbins burned in 1877, the city’s lack of water infrastructure and public apathy turned a potential save into a total loss.Seattle, WA
- Apr 21, 1877The Sheriff’s Gavel: Two Families Lose Their Homes in SnohomishIn March 1877, the Snohomish County Sheriff seized and scheduled the sale of real estate for two different local families to satisfy court judgments, marking a stark moment in the territory's early legal history.Snohomish, WA
- Apr 28, 1877Kelloggs Face Foreclosure Sale Over $4,806 MortgageIn a move that highlights the precarious nature of land ownership in the early Washington Territory, David and Sarah Kellogg of Seattle are facing the auction of their Snohomish County property due to an unpaid mortgage.Snohomish, WA
- Jun 23, 1877He Tore Up the Railroad Track, Then Flagged Down the TrainIn 1877, a King County farmer named John Ross ripped up Seattle Coal & Transportation Co. rails to force a right-of-way dispute into court — then warned the locomotive before it reached the break.Newcastle, WA
- Jan 26, 1878The Price of Debt in 1877 SeattleForeclosure notices reveal the rapid shift in property ownership as King County land was liquidated at the courthouse steps.Ward's Addition, Seattle, WA
- Mar 27, 1878The Price of Litigation in 1878 SnohomishA look at the Snohomish District Court's docket reveals a frontier society focused on land, debt, and the legal machinery of settlement.Snohomish, WA