Homesteaders Fight Railroad Land Grab
Settlers at Opera Hall band together to challenge the railroad company's claim to the land they built their homes on.
Proceedings of the meeting held in Opera Hall, Saturday, March 15th. The meeting was called to order by Judge C. M. Kincaid. C. H. Warner, in a short address, told the people that the railroad company was trying to get whatever they could for the lien lands which had been settled upon prior to the time of definite location. It was moved and carried that C. S. Voorhees be instructed to work for the welfare of the people of this section. W. J. Hamilton said he had been holding a piece of lien land for twelve years, and he is now unwilling to pay $2.50 per acre for it, for he believes he will get it from the Government for $1.25. C. B. Hopkins said, 'We must stick together or we would be defeated by the company yet.' Mr. Williams added, 'If the railroad company let me alone I can make a living, but if they take my home they will impoverish me, then they will give me a free pass out of the country—in a box.' J. W. Arrasmith stated his belief that Congress did not intend to retard development by withdrawing the lien lands from settlement. A. M. McLellan, Sec.
“If the railroad company let me alone I can make a living, but if they take my home they will impoverish me, then they will give me a free pass out of the country—in a box.”
This 1884 struggle over 'lien lands' echoes current debates in Washington about public vs. private land use and corporate acquisition of residential property. Settlers were fighting the powerful Northern Pacific Railroad to protect their homesteads from being retroactively claimed by the monopoly, a scenario that mirrors modern-day housing anxiety regarding corporate landlords.
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