The Fight for Puyallup: A Last-Minute Land Grab
Before leaving office, Interior Secretary Teller attempted to block land titles for the Puyallup people, favoring the expansion of a local corporation.
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.
Another disgraceful act, which will be regarded with some interest in this portion of the country, is that of the ex-Secretary in regard to the Puyallup Indian Reservation. This reservation, containing a trifle more than 18,000 acres, lies in Pierce and King counties, immediately adjoining the city of Tacoma. Much of this is cultivated by the Indians, who number 800, and are thoroughly civilized. They have long desired to hold their lands in severalty and had taken the necessary steps to secure patents for them. These patents, two months ago, were prepared and almost ready to be sent to the Indians. These lands, however, are very valuable. Lying, as they do, within sight of Tacoma, and directly adjoining the addition of the Tacoma Land Company, they have long been coveted by that corporation. Some time since Mr. C. H. Wright, acting for the company, made a written offer to the Interior Department for the purchase of these lands. In the letter in which this offer was made, was a statement of the number of the Puyallup Indians and their condition. The number was ridiculously underestimated, being placed at about one-tenth of what it actually is. As to the condition of the Indians, their progress in the arts of civilization was made to appear exceedingly small, while in fact, as everyone at all acquainted with the subject knows, they have made the most wonderful progress. A short time before the close of the late Administration, an order was sent to the General Land Office by Secretary Teller by which the issuance of the patents to the Indians was delayed. This order, which merely directed a delay without stating for how long a time, was endorsed on a letter to Mr. Teller from Senator Mitchell, attorney for the Northern Pacific Railroad. Subsequently to this, and just before Secretary Teller's retirement, he sent an order withdrawing all the papers from the Land Office. Thus another outrage was consummated which the new Secretary of the Interior, if he be loyal to his trust, will have to repair. There is absolutely no reason why the Puyallup Indians should not have their lands given to them in severalty. P.S.—Since the above was written it has been learned that Secretary Lamar, on representations made to him by Senator Dawes, has rescinded the infamous Teller order and has directed the immediate issue to the Indians of the patents for which they have needlessly and cruelly waited so long.
“There is absolutely no reason why the Puyallup Indians should not have their lands given to them in severalty. If the lands are extremely valuable, it is all the more reason why the Indians should not be robbed of them.”
This 1885 report highlights a recurring struggle in the Pacific Northwest: the tension between Indigenous land sovereignty and the rapid encroachment of real estate development. The tactics of the Tacoma Land Company—underestimating populations to devalue community land—echo the ongoing displacement pressures in modern Seattle, where land speculation continues to complicate housing equity.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.