Railroad Giant Eyes Tribal Land
A local capitalist claims the Northern Pacific railroad holds legal rights to odd-numbered land sections within the Puyallup Indian Reservation.
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.
Jacob C. Mann, a capitalist of this city and one of the heaviest buyers of valentine scrip, with which to secure tide lands, is feeling very self-congratulatory today over the assertions made by Chief Counsel McNaught yesterday to the effect that the Northern Pacific would claim the odd sections of the Puyallup Indian reservation under its land grant. For several days Mr. Mann has been working on a theory that, barring a treaty with the Indians later than that of 1854, the Northern Pacific owns and undoubtedly can control the odd sections in the reservation, from the simple fact that the odd sections had been granted to the railroad company previous to the granting of land in severalty to the Indians. Attorneys in this city and Washington City look the matter up and no treaty later than that of 1854 can be found, although one dated 1857 is said to be in existence.
“The Northern Pacific would claim the odd sections of the Puyallup Indian reservation under its land grant.”
This reflects the era's relentless legal maneuvering to dispossess Indigenous peoples of their land via colonial land grants. The fight over 'odd sections' underscores the use of technicalities to erode reservation boundaries, a legacy that remains a core friction point in Washington's tribal sovereignty battles today.
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