Rockefeller Interest Moves on Tacoma Waterfront
Massive dredging and warehouse plans filed for East Tacoma suggest the oil mogul is expanding his railroad and shipping empire.
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L. R. Manning today filed with the state land commissioner plans and specifications for the improvement of the waterfront property recently purchased for J. T. Woodward. These lands include lots 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, east of the Puyallup river, and contain about 100 acres. The proposed improvements include the dredging of two waterways and the construction of four mammoth warehouses and docks. It is known that J. T. Woodward, who instructed Manning to purchase the property, is connected with the Rockefeller bank in New York. The plans provide for docks extending northward to accommodate ocean-going vessels, with double tracks for railroad access.
“The filing of the plans and specifications for the improvement is positive evidence that the owners, whoever they are, mean business.”
This deal marks the early 20th-century consolidation of Tacoma's industrial tideflats, a landscape still dominated by massive logistics and international shipping. The Rockefeller influence in port infrastructure echoes today's ongoing debates over waterfront control and the expansion of rail-to-port supply chains in the Pacific Northwest.
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