The West Shore.
VOL. 9 No. 1. j
L. tUmtinl. Publisher,
12 Front t,
Portland, Oregon, January, 1888.
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ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
The publisher of The West Shore, accom
panied by one of our staff artists, has just re
turned from a trip across the continent over the
Northern Pacific Railroad, and In the February
number will furnish our leaders with the first of a
series of articles and illustrations descriptive of
the wonderland through which this road passes.
X he entire series will embrace all of Montana
Territory, the National Park of the Yellowstone,
Pyramid Park, and scenes on both the headwaters
of the Columbia and Missouri rivers.
NEW TACOMA.
When the project of a transcontinental railroad
parallel withand nearest tothe northern boundary of
the United Slates was first brought to the knowl
edge of the public, the expectation arose and be.
came general that among the momentous results
of the undertaking would be the development of
a large city at that point on Puget sound which
should be chosen as its western, or Pacific ocean
terminus. Nine years elapsed alter the charter
and formation of the Northern Pacific Company
ere the site of its western terminus was selected,
and nine other years have elapsed since the last
named event, and yet, although the expectation
has not Iwn realized according to the measure of
time, there is right near at hand, as appears from
unmistakable indications, an era of rapid growth
that will more fully meet the early calculations of
those who placed high value on the idea of the
western terminus, and backed their estimates by
investment of money.
When but a comparatively smnll portion of the
main line had been constructed on the eastern end
from take Superior westward, the company
deemed it expedient to make a showing on the
Pacific coast, and to finally choose the point
where the immense volume of its commerce of the
future should meet that of the ocean, and accord
ingly began the construction of what Is known as
its Pacific division, connecting the Columbia
river with Puget sound by line running north
ward. Work on the Pacific division was begun
at Kalaina, forty miles down the river from Port
land, under the supervision of General J. W.
Sprague in the spring of 1871, and by the sum
mer of 1873 had progressed northward a distance
of sixty-six miles to the new station named Te
nino, which is the present point of connection with
the Olympus and Cnehali valley railroad, be ing
thirty-nine mile south of the nearest point 00
de water suitable for shipping purpose. So tar
the precise objective point on Puget sound was
not known that Is, the terminus had not been
located. The selection of the terminus was prop
erly regarded by the company as a very Important
mattei demanding thorough surveys and examina
tions, and great care and good judgment lecaute
upon the location of the terminus necessarily de
pended the direction of the line of road, and con
sequently the location of the grant of lands which
the law docs not permit the company to shift
after the filing in the Interior Department of the
map showing the final location of Its line of road.
The act of filing such a map Is the act of defi
nitely fixing the line of railroad, and Is In the na
ture of a notice to all the world that the odd-numbered
sections of land within the prescribed lim
its on either side are subject to the grant, and so
appiopriatcd that the even-numliered sections
within those limits may be taken by settlers at the
double minimum price, and that the lands outside
of those limits, both of even and odd-numbered
sections, may be taken by Millers, and that at the
single minimum price of $l.3J per acre. It is
not difficult to imagine the confusion, hardships,
and wrong which a change of line and consequent
shifting of land grant at the pleasure of the com
pany, after definite location, would work against
the interests of settlers and the government, and
herein lies the reason of the law by which the ter
minus as located attained a fixed character. It
was in the face of such rulings of law and for the
further obvious reason that there was nothing In
view to justify the company in building more than
one line of railroad to earn its land grant when
one was sufficient, that the Hoard of Directors
exercised the utmost care in making selection of a
site for the western terminus of the road) and the
selection of that site under the circumstances was
equivalent to a declaration by the most compc
tint judges that all other points on the Sound
within the range of practicability lor the purposes
in view were inferior. This act summed up to
the deliberate conclusion of the best judgment of
this great corporation, enlightened by the best pro
fessions! skill and thorough knowledge of all the
essential facts and questions involved. The
manner of the selection was through board of
commissioners comprising' one of the leading
officers of the company In the east, Mr. R. N.
Rice, of Maine, vice president, and Capt. J. C.
Ainsworth of Portland, Oregon, the jnanaglng
director for this coast, one of the foremost men of
the Pacific coast, whose signal success In directing
large transportation interests In the northwest
fully attests his sucrior ability and clear judg
ment. These two gentlemen were appointed
commissioners by resolution of the board of
director fur the purpose of locating ibi western
terminus, Their instructions were to examine
the western shore from Stcilacoom to Muckilleo,
The west shore between these two points and
beyond both north and south, had been carefully
surveyed by eminent and able engineer whose
report were before the commissioners. In U
that distance of about one handled mile of snore
line thet were but four point deemed worthy of
coruideraitua, namely 1 Meilacoom, Commence
ment Ray, Elliott's Ray and Muckilleo. Consider
ing all the advantages of the several places in que
lionllie commissioners fixed uHin the shore of Com
mencement bay as affording a site decidedly more
suitable in all rcitects for the purposes of the
terminus, and they so declared and made report
accordingly to the board of directors. Their re
port was, after discussion and careful deliberation,
adopted by the company, and the board of direc
tors thereuHin affirmed the action of the com.
missions by passing the following resolution at
a meeting held In New York city on the loth
day of September, 1 87 J 1
"AWiW. That the N. P. R. R. Co. locale
anil construct Its main road to a point on Puget
sound on the southerly side of Commencement
bay In T ai, R J IC of Willamette meridian, and
within the limits ol the city 01 iacoina, which
point in the said city of Tacoma 1 declared to lie
the western terminus of the main line of the
Northern Pacific."
The "city of Tacoma," referred to In the resold
(Ion, wat the town known a Tacoma City, plat
of which was filed In the auditor's office of Pierce
county, on the 3rd of Decetnlier, 1869. It was
a small town of few Inhabitants, which had grown
up around and was chlclly dependent on lite saw
mill of Hanson, Ackerson ft Co. Even as lale as
the selection by the commissioner there was no
store in the place except that of the above firm,
and the numlwr of house was limited to such as
were occupied by the families of the men em
ployed in the mill, except I lie resilience of On.
M, M. McCarver, Job Carr, his two sons A nthony
and Howard, and a Mr. Stewart. After the
commissioner had made their decision In favor
of the southerly shore of Commencement ly,
but More they hail oicnly declared It, Mr, K. 8.
Smllh, acting for the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company, bonded the saw mill of Hanson,
Ackerson & Co,, for the sum ol $100,000, at
which price the purchase was afterwards con
summated 1 but after the failure nf.Jay Cooke ft
Co., this pr)irly was sold to Hanson, Ackerson
& Co,, for $45,oo. He also purchased on same
account three thousand acre of land for town-
site purpose, which included the tile of the
present city of New Tacoma. ' About the sain
time General Sprague contracted for the purchase
on account of the (.ake Suiwrlor ami Puitel
Sound Comtmny, of a Urge adjoining tract, lately
acquired by the N. P, preferred stockholders.
These transactions hrong'it the railroad com-
pany to face protectlv town-site business of
great magnitude, i d a ihi was out of the line
of legitimate railroad business the member of
the company deemed It exdlenl to manage Ihi
branch of It Interests through the medium of
subordinate corporation.
Many of the largest shareholders of the com
pany resided in Philadelphia. That was the ret
Hence of Jay Cooke, who was the financial agent
of the company. A corporation wat formed un
der the laws of Pennsylvania, named the T stoma
Land Company, having capital Mock of $1,
000,000, divided into so, OOO share of the par
value of $5oeach, and the object of which was to
j acquire, hoM and sell land at the terminus. The,