The Railroad That Quietly Claimed the Sauk and Skykomish Country
In May 1895 the Great Northern filed land-grant selections for river and mountain tracts in Snohomish and Skagit counties—turning a federal subsidy into private ownership of some of the Puget Sound hinterland.
The Great Northern Railroad Company yesterday filed in the land office a list of tracts claimed under a government grant, embracing 1,000 acres along the Sauk river in the northern part of Snohomish county. At various times the company has made selections, including near the switchback, 300 acres at Skykomish station, 600 acres along the Skykomish river, additional acreage along the Sauk river, 1,120 acres at the confluence of the Solduck river and Harrison creek, and more in Skagit county. All these lands have been taken under an act allowing the company to select lands at any point on its line in lieu of tracts in the old St. Paul grant in North Dakota, which had been occupied by settlers.
“All these lands have been taken under an act allowing the company to select lands at any point on its line...”
The Great Northern's 1890s land selections helped decide who would own the timber and river valleys beyond Seattle. Those federal grants are still visible in today's patchwork of private forestland, public holdings and access fights across the Sauk and Skykomish country.
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