The Fight for Point Roberts’ Shoreline
A powerful fishing association is accused of manipulating land filings to secure a monopoly on the valuable tide lands, pushing out local competitors.
It is reported that a very strenuous effort is being made by Wadhaus and Drysdale, representatives of the Alaska Packing Association, to gobble up all the valuable portions of the recently surveyed tide lands at Point Roberts and prevent the consideration of applications for purchase by persons who have no priority rights there. The plat of the surveyed lands was filed in the recorder's office two weeks ago, and it is said to have been filed at Olympia Monday. Under the law, applications for purchase of tide lands are not supposed to be received until after plats are not only filed but approved by the state land commission. However, one of the upland owners says this rule is not being observed and intimates that there is some practice going on which, if not checked, will result in the virtual control of the entire point by the packing association and the consequent exclusion of other cannerymen and packers from the great fisheries there.
“It is really important that no one company or combination should secure a practical monopoly of the vested rights and fishing privileges there.”
The control of shoreline and tide lands has been a central political fight in Washington since statehood. Today, while public access is more protected, the tension between massive commercial interests and independent operators remains a hallmark of Washington's industrial history.
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