The Sugar King's Coal Play
Claus Spreckels swoops into Grays Harbor to secure 2,000 acres of coal land, beating local prospectors to the punch.
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.
Claus Spreckels has an eye open for the soft snaps in a new country. Almost everyone has known in a general way that there was plenty of coal in the eastern part of the county, but no one had the money to do the work required. A couple of Aberdeen rustlers were just getting things into shape to make a big killing by securing a large tract on Independence creek, in the extreme southeastern part of the county, but before the deal could be closed, the land, two thousand acres in all, was gobbled up by Claus Spreckels, the sugar king, and others, who will put in the money necessary to work the mines. The coal will be brought to Aberdeen and shipped to the California market.
“before the deal could be closed, the land, two thousand acres in all, was gobbled up by Claus Spreckels, the sugar king.”
The struggle for control over local natural resources—and the intervention of outside capital—remains a central theme in Pacific Northwest history. Today's Aberdeen still grapples with how to utilize its geography and natural wealth while balancing local ownership with the interests of global corporations.
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