The Fight Over Who Owns the Reservation
A legal battle over assessing Puyallup Indian lands triggers a debate on citizenship and taxation in the Superior Court.
Beginning on the 1st of March, County Assessor Meath, acting under the advice of County Attorney Fremont Campbell, appointed a deputy to assess the reservation lands. Suit was brought against the assessor by an Indian to restrain him from assessing the lands. The case was tried in the superior court before Judge Snell, who expressed the opinion that the Indians are now full-fledged citizens, enjoy the right of suffrage, can buy and sell lands, and in every way exercise the liberties given under the constitution to other citizens, and therefore would naturally be subject to the same tax laws as other citizens. The attorney for the Indian, George T. Reid, has appealed the case to the supreme court, and that court will render its decision some time during the May term.
“The assessed valuation being only a fraction of the real value of the land, the banks, nearly all of which hold considerable realty, will benefit decidedly by the new law.”
This 1904 dispute reflects the persistent, often predatory interest local governments took in reservation land. The legal friction over the Puyallup Tribe's sovereignty and land ownership remains a central theme in Tacoma's historical and contemporary civic life.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.