Railroad Giant Stumbles in Palouse
A landmark court ruling strips the Northern Pacific of its right-of-way through Palouse City.
Olympia, Wash., Aug. 15. — The supreme court has affirmed the Whitman county judgment which gives Jacob Slaight possession of a most valuable right of way of the Northern Pacific through Palouse city. The terms of the judgment dispossesses the railroad company of all of its 200 foot strip and a parcel of land 100 feet square for the depot site. The execution is stayed 90 days to enable the railway company to commence condemnation proceedings to acquire the portion awarded Slaight.
“The terms of the judgment dispossesses the railroad company of all of its 200 foot strip.”
This battle between a local landowner and the railroad giant over land rights reflects the ongoing tension between private property owners and infrastructure development in rapidly growing regions like the Tri-Cities today. The struggle to hold railroads accountable for their land usage remains a perennial civic friction.
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