Organization

Tacoma Land Company

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Mar 8, 1879The Boomtown Hype of 1870s TacomaA booster-style editorial from the Snohomish Eye argues for a direct shipping route to New Tacoma to bypass Seattle's influence.Tacoma, WA
Apr 5, 1879The Ghost of Tacoma's Original DowntownBefore the railroad turned Tacoma into a boomtown, the city's future was fought over by competing pioneers and land speculators.Old Town Tacoma, Tacoma, WA
Oct 29, 1880The Political Price of a County SeatWhen Steilacoom faced a challenge from a rising New Tacoma, citizens weighed civic growth against the hard cost of building a new government center.Tacoma, WA
Jun 7, 1883The Hotel del Monte of the NorthwestTacoma Land Company plans a massive, luxury seaside hotel to rival California's best.Tacoma, WA
Jun 23, 1883Seattle vs. Tacoma: The Great Railroad BattleBoosterism was the lifeblood of 1883 Seattle, as the P-I staked its claim on the city's future as the 'terminal city' of the Northwest, despite President Villard's clear favoritism toward Tacoma.Seattle, WA
Dec 6, 1883The Northern Pacific Railroad Plans Tacoma's ExpansionRailroad executives visit to strategize the massive redevelopment of Tacoma's waterfront and terminal infrastructure.Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA
Mar 11, 1884The Battle Over the Cascades Rail RouteLocal critique of the Northern Pacific Railroad’s route selection, favoring the Tacoma Land Company's influence over the practical needs of the territory.Tacoma, WA
Apr 13, 1884Railroad Monopoly Targets Seattle’s ProsperityThe Northern Pacific Railroad is accused of prioritizing Tacoma's land values over the economic development of Seattle.Seattle, WA
May 3, 1884The Fight for the Railroad TerminalA scathing address to Congress exposes how Northern Pacific Railroad insiders manipulated land grants to prioritize Tacoma's development over Seattle's growth.Seattle, WA
Jan 1, 1885The Name Debate: Why Seattle Nearly Became 'Tacoma'When an Eastern Senator tried to force a name change on the future state, the people of the Washington Territory pushed back with fierce regional pride.Seattle, WA
Apr 12, 1885The Fight for Puyallup: A Last-Minute Land GrabBefore leaving office, Interior Secretary Teller attempted to block land titles for the Puyallup people, favoring the expansion of a local corporation.Puyallup Indian Reservation, Tacoma, WA
Sep 15, 1885The Myth of the Promised Land: 1885A reader challenges the city's booster press, exposing the gap between industrial promises and the reality of a struggling population.Tacoma, WA
Apr 28, 1886The Town the Railroad KilledA legislative protest against the Northern Pacific Railroad's ruthless manipulation of Yakima Valley geography and business.Yakima City, Yakima, WA
Mar 16, 1887When the Law Stops the CityA judicial ruling in Tacoma paralyzes street improvements, sparking a bitter feud between city officials and property owners.Tacoma, WA
May 1, 1887The Pile-Driver Politics of Tacoma’s WaterfrontWhen the Tacoma Land Company locked the city’s citizens away from the bay, one local activist took a stand with a pile driver, a small cabin, and a vision for an open waterfront.Seattle, WA
May 20, 1887The Seattle-Tacoma Rivalry Hits the RailsAn editorial critique of a Northern Pacific Railroad official's visit reveals deep-seated local resentment over the company's blatant favoritism toward Tacoma.Seattle, WA
Dec 15, 1887The Waterfront Property WarA high-stakes legal battle over Seattle's tide lands pits powerful developers against squatters in a fight for the future of the harbor.Seattle, WA
Jan 20, 1891The Tacoma Land Grab: How Rich Men Tried to Steal Washington’s Senate SeatIn January 1891, Seattle’s press rallied behind incumbent Senator Watson Squire against a rival backed by Tacoma’s wealthy elite, exposing a bitter battle over whether the state would be ruled by its people or its land barons.Olympia, WA
Nov 12, 1891The Fifteen-Year Flood That Cut Puget Sound ApartA massive storm inundates Puget Sound lowlands, blocks the Northern Pacific, washes out county bridges, and sends Tacoma developers scrambling to control the Puyallup River.Tacoma, WA
Oct 30, 1892The Tacoma Land Company's Political UltimatumA power struggle erupts as the Tacoma Land Company openly threatens political retaliation against Republican candidates who support the Lake Washington Ship Canal.Seattle, WA
Apr 10, 1893The Machine Behind the Water BondsTacoma laborers are being fired for speaking out against a water plant sale, while reformers fear an election rigged by saloon-bought votes.Tacoma, WA
Apr 17, 1893The Deadly Cost of a City ElectionA Tacoma land locator collapses and dies from delirium tremens following a heavy drinking binge triggered by a local bond vote.Kent, WA
Nov 10, 1893The Shadow of the LandlordTacoma citizens grapple with the heavy-handed tactics of the Northern Pacific railroad and the Tacoma Land Company.Tacoma, WA
Jan 6, 1894The Water Works BetrayalTacoma citizens feel duped after voting for a massive bond issue to purchase a water plant under the false promise of a new railroad to Mount Rainier.Tacoma, WA
Mar 10, 1894Who Owns the Tide Lands? A Tacoma Title Fight Heads to the Supreme CourtTwo Valentine scrip suits — Bier v. Moran Bros. and Mann v. Tacoma Land Company — are set to test whether private claimants or the State of Washington control the tide lands of its harbors.Tacoma, WA
Mar 22, 1894The High Stakes Battle for Seattle’s WaterfrontA landmark legal fight reaches the U.S. Supreme Court, threatening to upend state ownership of tide lands.Seattle, WA
Apr 19, 1894The Fight Over Seattle's WaterfrontA legal battle reaches the Supreme Court over whether Valentine Scrip could be used to claim valuable tide lands in Seattle and Tacoma.Seattle Waterfront, Seattle, WA
Jul 30, 1894The Homesteader Who Beat the Railroad and the Land CompanyA Tacoma land dispute turns on a settler's 1883 claim, a canceled filing, and the Northern Pacific's grant.Tacoma, WA
Sep 4, 1894Tacoma Officials Accuse Land Commission of Favoring the Land CompanyCity leaders head to Olympia to challenge harbor lines they say were drawn to benefit the Tacoma Land Company rather than the city.Tacoma harbor, Tacoma, WA
Sep 5, 1894Tacoma Fights the Railroad for Its Own WaterfrontAt a state land commission hearing, city officials and citizens demand a wider public harbor line to keep the Northern Pacific and Tacoma Land Company from controlling the waterway.Tacoma, WA
Sep 18, 1894The Many Lives of J. S. Howell: Gold Miner, Town Founder, Tacoma BrokerA Tacoma pioneer dies at his Twelfth Street home. His obituary is a tour of the nineteenth-century American West — Wisconsin lumber, Colorado gold, an Iowa townsite he platted and owned, and finally real estate in a rising Tacoma.Tacoma, WA
Jan 5, 1895Who Drew Tacoma's Harbor Lines? A New Affidavit Deepens the Tide-Land FightAs Tacoma and the Northern Pacific fought over the waterfront, a witness swore he saw a Tacoma Land Company representative preparing the very maps the state used to fix the harbor line.Tacoma, WA
Jan 12, 1895Who Gets to Build Tacoma's Harbor?Ex-Governor Semple said the money was secured, but a state land commission hearing and waterfront lawsuits showed rival plans and private claims still controlled the tideflats.Tacoma Harbor, Tacoma, WA
Feb 12, 1895The Battle for the WaterfrontTacoma and Seattle clash with the state over who owns the land between the high tide line and the harbor.Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA
Apr 30, 1895The Land Company’s Revenge in TacomaA report from Tacoma says city officials may be punished at confirmation because they crossed the Tacoma Land Company in a fight over the municipal light and water plant.Tacoma, WA
May 1, 1895The Deeds That Set Tacoma SpeculatingWhen Tacoma Land Company deeds to railroad magnate Henry Villard hit the recorder’s office, rumors of a Northern Pacific power grab briefly set off a real-estate boom.Tacoma, WA
May 30, 1895Tacoma Sealed Its Waterfront Deal With a TelegramThe city council approved a tide-land plat after railroad and land-company officials promised rights-of-way and waterways—over dissenters who wanted more than long-distance assurances.Tacoma, WA
Jun 27, 1895Tacoma Moves to Fill Its Tide FlatsThe Tacoma Land Company prepares to reclaim the mudflats under the state's tide-land law, with a Philadelphia backer footing the bill.Tacoma, WA
Jul 1, 1895Philadelphia Money Dredges Tacoma's Tide Flats for Ships and GrainThe Tacoma Land Company floats bonds back East to buy and fill the tide flats, cut a 25-foot channel, and build a grain warehouse and a 500-barrel flour mill on the water.Tacoma, WA
Mar 2, 1898The Tacoma Oil RushA secret discovery in the heart of the city sparks a high-stakes land deal.Tacoma, WA
Feb 3, 1909The City Planning to Bury the North End BridgeTacoma officials move to replace a bridge with a nine-acre park in the gulch.C Street, Tacoma, WA
Feb 16, 1909The Battle for the GulchTacoma officials move to convert a rugged ravine into parkland, sparking a protest from residents of Old Town who demand road access.Tacoma Avenue, Tacoma, WA
Feb 18, 1909The City’s stalled bridge and park land dealA Tacoma city council debate over land acquisition for a public park highlights the tension between municipal growth and private interests.Tacoma Ave, Tacoma, WA
Mar 1, 1909Old Town Residents Fight for New Road AccessAfter losing the battle to keep the Tacoma Avenue bridge, locals are now petitioning the city to condemn land for a new connection.Tacoma, WA