The Million-Dollar Lot
After a decade of litigation, a pioneer wins a judgment against the Northern Pacific Railroad for a prime section of downtown Spokane.
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.
Spokane, March 1.—An important decision has been handed down by Judge Hanford in the United States district court in the case of H. T. Cowley against the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, involving title to a valuable section of land lying in the very heart of the city. The case has been in the courts for nearly 10 years, having first made its appearance in May, 1888. It dragged its weary way to the United States supreme court, where a decision in favor of the railroad company was given. About two years ago the case was reopened in the United States district court before Judge Hanford on a writ of error, and the decision which is now handed down virtually awards the land to the complainant, H. T. Cowley. The land in question is valued at fully $1,000,000. W. T. Stoll, one of the attorneys for the Northern Pacific, stated that an appeal to the United States supreme court would be taken from the decision of Judge Hanford.
“The case has been in the courts for nearly 10 years, having first made its appearance in May, 1888.”
This battle between H. T. Cowley and the Northern Pacific Railroad mirrors the perpetual tug-of-war over land rights in growing Washington cities. Today, as then, the question of whether valuable urban property belongs to private citizens or corporate interests remains a central civic tension in the region.
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