Timber Syndicates Used Dummy Squatters to Seize Washington’s State Lands
A state land cruiser describes a systematic scheme: Eastern syndicates paid men to squat on the best timber, commute it cheaply, then move on to the next quarter section—land meant to fund schools and public institutions.
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.
OLYMPIA, Sept. 7.—[Special.]—Mr. James McInnes, one of the state land cruisers, whose duty it is to examine public lands for the purpose of selecting the best of them to apply on government grants, says the state is meeting with much opposition from squatters and locators, the latter often being in the employ of Eastern syndicates, whose object is to get control of lands held for timber for speculative purposes. The locator selects a quarter section of good timber, puts a squatter on it, who, for a consideration, commutes at $1.25 per acre, with money furnished by the syndicate. The squatter will build the base of a cabin, and comply with the requirements of the law with the least possible expense. When the company takes the land off his hands, he immediately squats on another quarter section, always selecting a heavily timbered one, and remains only long enough to meet the barest requirements of the law. For this service they get from $100 to $150.
When Washington was admitted to statehood Congress granted 622,000 acres of land, the proceeds from the sale of which are to apply on specific public purposes and institutions. The cruisers are now engaged in selecting from the public domain in this state land to apply on the grants, and the purpose, of course, is to select the most valuable land, that will bring the highest price. The state, in this selection, is limited to surveyed lands, although Congressman Wilson’s bill provides prior rights for the state on unsurveyed lands.
“The locator selects a quarter section of good timber, puts a squatter on it, who, for a consideration, commutes at $1.25 per acre, with money furnished by the syndicate.”
Washington’s statehood land grants were supposed to bankroll schools and public institutions, but this article shows how easily public resources could be diverted to private speculators. The same tension—who benefits from public land and timber, and how carefully the state guards it—still shapes fights over public lands, trust revenues, and corporate influence in Olympia.
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