The City that the Railroad Built—and Abandoned
A scathing editorial on Tacoma's dependence on the Northern Pacific and the desperate need to diversify its transportation links.
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.
Citizens of Tacoma who were here in early days tell how the town languished until the first locomotive of the Northern Pacific arrived. Then a transformation followed. Trade brightened up, hundreds of new citizens appeared and property values began to rise. An era of prosperity ensued. Why? Because the town became easily accessible to the outside world, and markets could be reached. A city began to develop. The railroad did it. So far the advantage was all on the side of the town. Quite naturally a great many citizens considered the railroad company in the light of a benefactor and a supporter. That is where one great mistake was made. They lost the spirit of independence and self-reliance. The Northern Pacific came to Tacoma not as a philanthropic institution but for its own ultimate benefit. It went into politics and controlled successive city councils. No protest was raised when it began absorbing the water front of the city. If anybody dared oppose its demands in the council he at once became marked for slaughter. The Northern Pacific was the ruling power in Tacoma. It would tolerate no opposition. When the Northern Pacific deserted the banner of Tacoma it did so simply because it believed that it could make Seattle pay better. The railroad was in business for what business it could get. It had no sentimental affection for Tacoma. This fact will go down the throats of some Tacoma people very hard. The Tacoma Times believes that the city must have more railroads or it must fail in the race of Puget Sound cities. The tide flats can be utilized, and it is even possible that condemnation proceedings could be instituted by the city to recover some of the water front lands wrested from it by the N. P. in past years.
“The Northern Pacific came to Tacoma, not as a philanthropic institution for the benefit of that portion of the human race living in Tacoma, but for its own ultimate benefit.”
This editorial captures the moment Tacoma realized its corporate patron had no loyalty, a theme that echoes in contemporary debates over infrastructure control and industrial land use in Tacoma. The battle over the waterfront remains a central pillar of the city's civic identity, even as the mode of 'getting and hustling' for economic survival has shifted to the modern digital age.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.