The Northern Pacific Railroad Depot Gets a Deadline
Tacoma City Council forces the hand of the Northern Pacific, setting a firm date for the construction of a new passenger depot on Pacific Avenue.
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.
Work on the Northern Pacific depot, according to present plans, must start in 60 days. The ordinances for all the franchises and vacations for the company were introduced in the council last night and referred to the judiciary committee and they will be passed in thirty days. The agreement is that the depot must be started within 30 days after the ordinance is passed, so by March 20 dirt will have to be flying down on Pacific Avenue. City Attorney Stiles is working on the ordinances and is incorporating the agreement in the legislation. One ordinance will give franchises and vacations for the depot proposition. Another will provide for the vacations on the tidelands and a third will grant the vacations at South Tacoma.
“So by March 20 dirt will have to be flying down on Pacific Avenue.”
The struggle for influence between Tacoma's government and the railroad giants defined the city's urban footprint for decades. This specific push to get shovels in the ground on Pacific Avenue reflects the city's early 20th-century obsession with modernization and rail infrastructure.
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