The Half-Million Dollar Land War
After decades of legal battles involving divorce, disputed donation claims, and multiple claimants, a massive 80-acre swath of Seattle real estate finally changes hands.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The most important transaction in a year, affecting land within the city limits, was brought to a close yesterday by the termination of the long-pending suit between the Bywaters and the W. C. Hill estate for possession of what is known as the Hill tract. The deeds passed yesterday with a consideration of $22,000, and stipulations signed for abandonment of all legal proceedings. The tract in question comprises eighty acres beginning between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets, running 123 feet south of Yesler Avenue to McClaire Street and thence along Jackson Street. It is valued at over $5,000 an acre, or about $500,000 for the whole. Early in the fifties, David S. Maynard settled on 640 acres of what became known as the Maynard donation claim. Following a complicated series of events involving a divorce, the reappearance of his first wife, Lydia A. Maynard, and multiple competing filings, the land became the subject of intense litigation. Charles W. Bywater and his wife settled upon the eighty acres, leading to a decade of contests between the Bywaters, W. C. Hill, and the city. In the interval since, Ben Snipes and W. Lair Hill bought out the interest of W. C. Hill's widow and sought to purchase Bywater's to close the litigation. With a deal reached yesterday, this fine tract of residence property is finally open to settlement, ending a period where development had been significantly retarded by the contest.
“It will throw a fine tract of residence property open to settlement and aid in development of a part of the city which has been retarded by the contest.”
This 1892 report highlights the chaotic, litigious origins of Seattle’s urban layout, where early homestead claims often overlapped and led to decades of gridlock. Much like today’s struggles over land-use policy and development rights, this story demonstrates how historical legal battles can stifle growth and shape neighborhood development for generations.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.