Tacoma Beats the Railroad Over Its Own Waterfront
The U.S. Supreme Court dismisses Northern Pacific's bid to stop harbor lines along Tacoma's waterfront, handing the city a victory over the railroad's claim to 200 feet on each side of its track.
The supreme court of the United States has just rendered an important decision affecting the city of Tacoma. The Northern Pacific undertook to restrain the harbor line commission from establishing harbor lines in the city of Tacoma, claiming that under their grant they were entitled to 200 feet on each side of the track, which runs along the water front of Tacoma. The supreme court set aside the restraining order of the lower court and ordered the bill of the railroad company dismissed. This is indeed a victory for Tacoma.
“The supreme court set aside the restraining order of the lower court and ordered the bill of the railroad company dismissed. This is indeed a victory for Tacoma.”
The fight over who controls Tacoma's shoreline—a city, a commission, or a railroad—is an old one. The same questions about public access and private claims to the water's edge still shape debates over ports, rail corridors, and waterfront redevelopment.
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