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130 stories matching pre
- The Dollar Deed: How a Husband’s ‘Gift’ to His Wife Cost Him His Land Claim
In a dispute over who settled first on public land, the Register of the Olympia Land Office ruled that W.S. Fish could not claim priority because he had technically transferred his donation claim to his wife for just one dollar.
- A Land Office Says the Tide Flats Are Not for the Taking
George Louchs tried to pre-empt 123.8 acres of Seattle tide flats. A federal commissioner said the unsurveyed shore belonged to the public—for now.
- The Shadowy Business of Land 'Jumpers'
A look at the corruption and speculation surrounding homestead land claims in Washington Territory, where the rules of pre-emption favored the well-connected over the actual settler.
- The Battle for Block Eight: Two Men, One Lot, and the Law
In a dispute that highlights the chaotic land rush of early Seattle, two settlers find themselves locked in a legal battle over the same pre-emption claim, forcing a federal judge to intervene.
- The Pre-emptor’s Ledger: A Blueprint for Owning Olympia
In November 1860, the federal government issued a rigid, almost theatrical checklist of requirements for settlers hoping to claim land in Washington Territory. It wasn't enough to just show up; you had to prove your worthiness through a litany of domestic and agricultural details.
- The Great Seattle Land Battle of 1877
A federal decision sheds light on the messy early scramble for ownership of downtown Seattle, as speculators and the city vied for title to the waterfront.
- The Sham Colony of Whatcom County
Federal investigators expose a fraudulent scheme to seize timber lands using dummy 'pre-emption' entries.
- The Lawyer and the Imposter
Attorney James E. Morrison faces a hearing over allegations he orchestrated a fraudulent pre-emption claim using a double.
- The Mysterious Snoqualmie Valley Elopement
A young woman vanishes from her home in Pleasant Hill, only to reappear days later in a pre-arranged wedding.
- The Battle for the Snohomish River Claim
A landmark interior department decision favors an ailing settler over a speculator who tried to exploit a technicality in federal land law.
- The Great Land Office Fire at Olympia
A catastrophic fire destroys essential territorial land records and plats, forcing homesteaders and pre-emption claimants to restart their filings from scratch.
- Land Fraud in a Booming Town: Two Everett Homestead Cases Go to Trial
A 170-acre tract valued at $1,000 an acre and a 40-acre parcel in the heart of Everett are at the center of separate land contests alleging fraudulent homestead and pre-emption claims.
- The Seattle Land Rush of 1889
A weekly log of deeds and transactions reveals the frenzied pace of development, speculation, and shifting property lines in pre-statehood Seattle.
- A Nooksack Valley Land Fight Ends With One Man Holding Everything
Frank Luke and Watt Birdwell claimed the same Nooksack Valley lots. The Interior Department finally ruled that Luke's earlier settlement gave him the land.
- Fire Levels Kiona Business District
A pre-dawn blaze incinerates a general store, hotel, and post office, leaving sleeping guests with a narrow escape.
- Three Children Escape as Fire Destroys a Snohomish Home
A pre-dawn fire consumed Mrs. Crane's house before anyone could stop it; the three children inside got out with only their clothes, and neighbors quickly organized aid.
- The Gateway to the Frontier: Snohomish Land Claims
How local clerk H.A. Gerhardt turned the legal machinery of the 1880s into a bustling bureau for pioneer settlement.
- The Street Cleanup Petition
Business owners bypass the city council to force a pre-holiday cleanup of Kennewick's streets.
- The Struggle for the Northern Pacific Rails
As Congress debates extending the deadline for the Northern Pacific Railroad, local settlers face the double-edged sword of promised prosperity versus the loss of homestead land.
- The Great Seattle Land Grab: How the Maynard Donation Claim Stalled City Growth
A legal dispute over the Catherine Maynard Donation Land Claim reveals the messy, high-stakes battle for ownership of Seattle’s central waterfront in the late 19th century.
- The Fight for Public Land
Seattle activists organize to challenge the Northern Pacific Railroad's control over vast swaths of Washington Territory.
- The War on Orchard Mildew
District Horticultural Inspector Luke Powell issues a dire warning to apple growers regarding the spread of powdery mildew.
- The Feds Crack Down on Land Fraud
A new circular from the General Land Office warns settlers that 'speculation' is illegal and will be met with criminal prosecution.
- A Railroad Beats a Homesteader Over a Tacoma Land Claim
Judge Gilbert rules James De Lacey abandoned his claim before the Northern Pacific land grant, but De Lacey will appeal.
- The Oriental Hotel Burns to the Ground
A pre-dawn fire claims a downtown landmark, leaving one man severely injured and a widow without her business.