Puyallup Land Sale Proposal Stirs Tacoma Speculators
As Tacoma developers salivated over tribal lands, a prominent Puyallup leader took his case to Washington D.C. to navigate the complex, often predatory, future of his people's property.
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The famous Puyallup Indian commission report has finally been submitted to the president and by him to Congress. The position taken by the commission is that these Indians must hold their lands for twenty-five years unless Congress takes action. The Secretary of the Interior recommended that a commission of three be appointed to appraise the lands and oversee their sale at public auction, with proceeds held in a permanent fund for tribal schools. For years, Tacoma real estate speculators have swarmed the reservation with ironclad agreements, hoping to secure land as soon as the government restrictions were lifted. One prominent Tacoma developer even hosted sumptuous banquets for influential tribal members to gain their favor. However, the tribal leaders are educated and aware of the land's value. Peter Stannup, a well-educated leader of the Puyallup, is now preparing to travel to the national capital to urge the passage of a bill providing for the allotment and sale of portions of the reservation, seeking to exert agency over the inevitable transition of his people's territory.
“For years the Tacoma speculators have looked upon these lands with longing eyes, and soon after the allotment had been consummated they swarmed over the reservation with their ironclad agreements.”
This 1892 report highlights the immense pressure applied by speculators to dissolve Indigenous land holdings for urban expansion, a recurring dynamic in the history of Washington state. Today, the legacy of these 'surplus land' sales and the struggle for sovereignty over tribal territory remains a critical conversation in urban planning and tribal relations.
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