Defeating the Yakima Valley Land Grab
State officials block a massive land selection scheme, sparking a debate over corporate control of irrigation water.
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.
State Land Commissioner E. W. Ross has been defeated in his attempt to secure 55,000 acres in Yakima County under the Carey Law. While reported as a postponement, the decision is effectively a rejection of a plan that would have favored corporate interests over the people. Critics argued that the scheme was an attempt to turn over valuable water privileges to a corporation without recompense. The decision is praised as a victory for the reclamation service, which is now seen as being in the hands of honest men who prioritize public interest over water monopolists.
“The plan to have these selections approved was an attempt to put hundreds of thousands of dollars into the coffers of a corporation, and to turn over to a corporation without recompense the most valuable water privileges in the state.”
This reflects the fierce historical battle for control over water rights in the arid Yakima Valley, a conflict that defined the early development of Eastern Washington and established the precedents for public vs. private water management used today.
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