Railroad Claims Exclusive Rights to Seattle Tide Lands
The Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad declares its ownership of the waterfront near King Street, barring public access.
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.
Whereas, the city of Seattle conveyed to the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad and Transportation Company all the tide lands south of King street, in said city, from extreme to extreme low tide and deep water; and whereas, the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Washington, by an Act approved 1877, ratified and confirmed said grant and conveyance; and whereas, the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Company has transferred and conveyed all of said lands; now, therefore, the said Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Company hereby gives notice that it claims the exclusive right to occupy said lands and to erect wharves and other structures thereon. All persons are hereby invited to refrain from occupying or entering upon any of said lands without the consent, in writing, of said Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Company.
“The Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Company hereby gives notice that it claims the exclusive right to occupy said lands.”
This notice marks the consolidation of the Seattle waterfront under private rail interests, a defining conflict in Seattle's history. It illustrates the 'tide land' grabs that shaped the city's modern industrial geography and the enduring tension between public access and private port development.
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