The Forged Deed of Fairhaven
A landmark land title dispute is settled in court after the discovery of a printing date discrepancy.
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 hearing of the case of the Fairhaven Land Company vs. E. A. Scott, involving the title to fifty-six acres of land in the Donation Claim south of Larrabee’s Point, at Fairhaven, was concluded yesterday before Judge Humes of Seattle. The evidence seemed conclusive that the deed upon which Scott based his claim is spurious, and the court so held in deciding in favor of the company. The Scott deed purported to have been executed in 1868, but depositions were produced in court showing that the blank form of the deed was not printed until 1883.
“The Scott deed purported to have been executed in 1868, but depositions were produced in court showing that the blank form of the deed was not printed until 1883.”
This case highlights the fragility of land titles in early Washington, where speculative claims were common and often fraudulent. Today, the area near Larrabee State Park and the Fairhaven district of Bellingham remains a site of significant development pressure, echoing the era's land-grab mentality.
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