The Battle for Wenatchee's Schoolhouse
Residents cast their votes to decide the location of a new school building, settling a divide between competing land developers.
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The question of location of the new school building was disposed of Monday by a special election. The people were divided in their opinions between two places—one a site offered by J. M. Corbett and the other offered by the Wenatchee Development Company. The friends of both propositions were out in full force, and the result of the election was 85 votes for block 31, the Wenatchee Development Company's offer, and 48 for the Corbett site. Work on the building is expected to begin at once.
“The people were divided in their opinions between two places—one a site offered by J. M. Corbett and the other offered by the Wenatchee Development Company.”
The practice of land developers donating property to secure school locations was a common tool for neighborhood promotion in early Washington. This struggle reflects a classic civic argument over where public investment should be centered, a theme that remains central to Seattle's urban development today.
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