The Judge and the Colony: A Disputed Gift of Land
When a federal judge handed over corporate land to a group of thrifty farmers in the Yakima Valley, he set a precedent for civic cooperation.
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 receiver of the Yakima Investment Company was yesterday directed by Judge Hanford in the United States court to convey certain tracts of land to David H. Abbey, trustee, to aid in the establishment of a Dunkard colony. Judge Hanford said he hesitated about giving away property held in trust by the court, but all parties interested urged it, and noted that it would enhance the value of other property. In that view of it, he had consented. The Yakima Investment Company was one of the creations of the late Paul Schulze, and owned a large tract of land secured from the Northern Pacific in the Yakima Valley. The company has been in the hands of a receiver for several years. A colony of Dunkards has located there, and as they are thrifty farmers, the people believed the receiver can well afford to aid the town by the gift of a small tract of land for their church.
“Judge Hanford said he hesitated about giving away property held in trust by the court, but all parties interested urged it, and noted that it would enhance the value of other property.”
This 1899 story captures an early intersection of federal authority and local land use in the Yakima Valley. Just as developers and planners debate land use for social benefit in modern Washington, this piece highlights how regional growth was once balanced against the needs of specific agricultural communities like the Dunkards (now known as the Church of the Brethren).
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