The Loomis Land Grab
A prospector files a homestead claim on 'Tunnel Flat,' a prime piece of land long overlooked by local mining interests.
John P. Forde of Loomis has filed a homestead claim on 80 acres of land directly north of town, known locally as the 'Tunnel Flat.' The flat is a beautiful bench of land located at the base of the Palmer Mountain mine and mill. While the area is adjacent to a major industrial site, the land office plats showed it as vacant, and Forde successfully filed for the land and the associated water rights on a stream flowing from the tunnel. His plan to transform the flat into a commercial orchard has created a sensation in the quiet mining camp of Loomis, with many locals wondering how such a valuable opportunity was missed for so long.
“In a few years the flat will be one of the most valuable orchards in the upper country, and there will be many wondering why they ever let such an opportunity escape.”
This story captures the classic frontier scramble for land rights and resources, reflecting the ongoing historical tension between extractive industry and private agricultural development in the Okanogan.
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