The Battle for the White River Valley

Fifty or more farmers from the White River Valley attended a meeting of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce on September 28 and the city council in the evening to present their claims regarding the proposed diversion of the waters of the Stuck River back into the White River. The White River Valley is now free from the inundations from which it has suffered for years, owing to the falling of a huge bluff at the forks of the White and Stuck rivers, which turned the course of the stream. The protest of the farmers against the removal of this natural obstruction, as proposed by Pierce County and the Northern Pacific, was endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce and the city council. James Hart, of Christopher, submitted a detailed statement of the facts, supported by speakers including Morgan Carkeek, A. T. Van de Vanter, John Wooding, T. M. Alvood, B. R. Maddox, William Cochrane, T. W. Prosch, and County Commissioner T. Ryan. County Surveyor P. D. Hamlin estimated that 12,000 to 15,000 acres in the White and Duwamish river valleys were submerged by floods in recent years, affecting nearly 2,000 people. James Hart noted that land values had plummeted by 60 percent due to the flooding, making it impossible to find buyers for improved farms. A special agent of the United States government is currently investigating the matter.