The Fight Over Seattle's Waterfront
A legal battle reaches the Supreme Court over whether Valentine Scrip could be used to claim valuable tide lands in Seattle and Tacoma.
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.
Arguments were begun in the Supreme Court today in two cases of interest to the citizens of Seattle and Tacoma. They involve the right to obtain by means of what is known as Valentine Scrip the rights to the tide flat sections of the water fronts of these cities. The entries to these lands by Valentine Scrip were made in 1890 and were allowed by Commissioner Stone of the General Land Office, which action was subsequently reversed by Secretary Noble, who held that tide flats were not subject to legislation as public lands. The cases were then taken to the courts.
“They involve the right to obtain by means of what is known as Valentine Scrip the rights to the tide flat sections of the water fronts.”
The control of Seattle's waterfront and tide lands was a foundational battle for the city's growth, pitting speculators against public interest. These same areas, once contested mudflats, are today the site of the city's most expensive real estate and vital maritime infrastructure.
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