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68 stories matching scrip
- Valentine Scrip Sparks Protest Over Washington Waterfronts
Speculators and land-hungry companies are betting big on a loophole involving obscure 'Valentine scrip' to seize Seattle’s tideflats, setting the stage for a massive legal showdown.
- Federal Ruling Kills Tide Land Speculation
The Secretary of the Interior rejects the use of 'Valentine Scrip' for public tide lands, dealing a blow to speculators in Seattle and Tacoma.
- The City’s Scrip Solution
With municipal bonds stalled during the 1893 depression, Seattle weighs paying workers in city-issued scrip to keep public projects moving.
- The Battle for the Tide Lands
A multi-million dollar legal dispute threatens to redefine ownership of Seattle’s valuable shoreline.
- The Great Tide Land Grab
A legal battle over the ownership of Seattle's waterfront reaches a fever pitch as investors stake claims on mud-flats using federal 'Valentine scrip.'
- The Quartermaster’s Arithmetic: Scrip, Pork, and Profiteering in Washington Territory
A detailed audit of Quartermaster General W. W. Miller’s books exposed inflated prices, unexplained payments, and scrip issued for vouchers the commissioners had already disallowed.
- Who Owns the Tide Lands? A Tacoma Title Fight Heads to the Supreme Court
Two 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.
- The Waterfront Dispute
Federal land officials deny a developer’s attempt to claim prime Elliott Bay real estate through an old land scrip filing.
- The Fight Over Seattle's Waterfront
A legal battle reaches the Supreme Court over whether Valentine Scrip could be used to claim valuable tide lands in Seattle and Tacoma.
- The Battle Over Seattle’s Tide Lands
A federal decision in 1889 confirms that tide lands in Washington Territory are federal property, opening the door for 'Valentine scrip' land grabs.
- City Laborers Find Relief at the Bank
Mayor Phelps intervenes to stop the exploitation of city laborers by 'scrip buyers' who were charging fees to cash municipal pay checks.
- Who Owns the Waterfront?
A government land office ruling denies the use of Valentine scrip on Tacoma's harbor front, setting a major precedent for municipal control.
- The Price of a City's Ambition
A Seattle City Council report warns that aggressive infrastructure grading, fueled by debt-financed city scrip, is pushing property owners to the brink during an economic downturn.
- The Battle for Metaline's Land
A complex legal dispute over the Metaline townsite ends in a victory for a scrip claimant, though the fight is far from over.
- City Hall Debates Paying Workers in Scrip
Facing a cash crunch, Seattle city officials consider paying for sewer infrastructure with IOUs that workers might have to sell at a discount.
- The Twenty-Dollar Warrant That Put Okanogan County’s Credit on Trial
A Seattle trust company sues over a tiny delinquent warrant, and county scrip buyers freeze purchases as officials try to move onto a cash basis.
- The Wild West of Washington Land Speculation
A 19th-century land agent pitches the 'script' system for acquiring Snohomish homesteads, revealing the complex, sometimes predatory, machinery behind early settlement.
- The Shadow Market for Public Land
A look at the opaque system of land scrip that fueled Washington's early expansion and the brokers who profited from the hustle.
- U.S. Supreme Court Rules Against Private Tide Land Claims
A landmark decision solidifies the state's control over waterfront property, ending years of speculation via 'Valentine scrip'.
- The Battle for Elliott Bay’s Tide Lands
A multi-year legal saga over land rights concludes as the government rejects a claim on Seattle's waterfront.
- 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 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.
- City's Tide Lands Protected from Speculators
Federal land officials reject attempts to claim Seattle harbor water as private property using questionable land scrip.
- The Ground Under Rainier Addition: A Seven-Year Title Fight Ends—for Now
After three trials and repeated reversals, Henry S. Alger is declared owner of a tract already platted into lots and improved by buyers who trusted the Hill title.
- The Day Seattle Democrats Vowed to Abolish 'Whitechapel'
At the 1892 city convention, Seattle Democrats staked their platform on moral reform, pledging to shutter the city's notorious 'Whitechapel' district and end the practice of paying city workers in scrip.
Also about this, in other words
- The Supreme Court Rules on City Debt
A landmark decision clarifies that Seattle is not liable for 'grade scrip' debts, protecting the city treasury but leaving contractors in a precarious position.
- The Hop Growers' Scrip Solution
Local banks and merchants collaborate to issue IOUs as cash to help farmers survive the harvest season.
- The Great Sheep Dip Controversy
A heated editorial battle erupts over federal government advice on treating sheep scab, pitting industry experts against bureaucratic mandates.
- The 'Plant Scurvy' Plague
A state official claims a revolutionary cure for orchard blights, blaming soil chemistry rather than disease.
- The Politics of Scabbing
A scathing editorial in the Labor Journal attacks a city council candidate for his history of crossing picket lines at the Sumner Iron Works.
- Suspicion After a Politician's Sudden Death
A state representative dies in an asylum, and his father suspects poisoning by atropine.
- The Saloon Stoop Feud
A corner clothing shop proprietor scores a court victory against a neighboring basement saloon's attempt to wall off the sidewalk.
- The Strawberry Gold Rush: Kennewick’s First Big Fruit Deal
Local growers secure a premium contract with Spokane’s elite Davenport Hotel, marking a shift from subsistence farming to high-stakes commercial agriculture.