Secretary of the Interior
Named in 14 stories. Back to all names
- Jun 24, 1876The Great Land Grab: How Speculators Stole Washington's Public LandsA new federal ruling threatens to invalidate thousands of land claims in the Pacific Northwest, exposing innocent buyers to ruin and revealing a system rigged by attorneys and speculators.Snohomish, WA
- May 15, 1877The Land Grab That Built Tacoma: How the Northern Pacific Railroad Stole Millions of AcresA furious editorial in the Seattle Star exposes the Northern Pacific Railroad’s scheme to misappropriate public lands for a private coal line, arguing that the company is using legal loopholes to steal from settlers in King and Snohomish counties.Seattle, WA
- Jun 12, 1883The Battle Over Snohoish County Timber LandA definitive government ruling reshapes the future of land rights in Washington Territory.Snohomish, WA
- Apr 9, 1884The Land Grabbing Battle for PuyallupA railroad-backed land company attempted to seize 18,000 acres of tribal land, painting it as 'waste' to displace the indigenous population.Puyallup Indian Reservation, Tacoma, WA
- Jan 13, 1885The Deserted Wife Who Saved Her HomesteadWhen a man abandoned his land and his spouse in Olympia, the government tried to invalidate her claim—until a steely legal battle proved her right to stay.Olympia, WA
- Mar 26, 1885The Great Cascade Rail Land GambleA reader asks if the railroad owns the land it’s selling in the Cascades; the editor argues the company's title is as muddled as the mountain tracks.Seattle, 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
- Dec 8, 1885The Neah Bay Standoff: A Clash of Court and CabinetA territorial judge, a stubborn Indian Agent, and an injunction gone wrong sparked a tense, potentially violent jurisdictional battle at Neah Bay.Neah Bay, WA
- Nov 16, 1887The Great Railroad Land GrabA government commissioner issues a sweeping order to restore millions of acres of Western land to the public domain after decades of railroad control.Seattle, WA
- Aug 3, 1888The Settler's Victory Against the Northern PacificA landmark Secretary of the Interior decision in 1888 effectively blocked the Northern Pacific Railroad from seizing 'indemnity' lands held by Washington homesteaders.Yakima, WA
- Sep 4, 1889The Smoke That Choked the SoundAs Seattle rebuilds from its Great Fire, a more insidious disaster—the annual torching of Washington’s vast forests—threatens the region’s economic future.Seattle, WA
- Sep 3, 1893The Desecration of Paradise ValleySuperintendent Schwagerl sounds the alarm on tourists burning ancient trees for fun and the unchecked slaughter of wildlife in the new mountain reserve.Paradise Valley, Ashford, WA
- Jul 14, 1894Washington Asked Congress for $34,500 to Finish Carving Up the Colville ReservationAn 1894 dispatch from the capital details the surveying and allotment machinery behind opening the northern Colville Reservation to settlement — right down to the promise that the cost would be repaid 'from the proceeds of the lands when sold.'Colville, WA
- Jun 1, 1916A Million Dollar Water GuaranteeFederal investment in Yakima Valley reservoirs secures long-term water rights for 160,000 acres of farmland.Yakima, WA