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71 Cal. 134

Packer v. Bird

California Supreme Court

Decided September 28, 1886

California Supreme Court · decided 1886-09-28

<p>Patent—Land Bounded by Navigable River—Title only Extends to Edge of Stream — Island. — Where a patent issued on a confirmed Mexican grant describes the land conveyed as bounded by a river navigable in fact, the title of the patentee extends no further than the edge of the stream, and does not include an island situated in the river opposite the mainland, notwithstanding the portion of the river between the island and the mainland is not navigable.</p>

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“-We do not concur in iliis view. Tho river being navigable in fact, tho title extends no further than the edge of the stream. We think this conclusion accords with tho rulings in People v. Gold Run Ditch & Min. Co., 66 Cal. 138 , 4 Pac. 1152 , and Lux v. Haggin, 69 Cal. 255 , 10 Pac. 674 .””

quoted by 1 later decision, including Pacific Gas Imp. Co. v. Ellert

Relies on Railroad Company v. Schurmeir · Lux v. Haggin · People v. Gold Run Ditch & Mining Co.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1886-09-28

How this case has been cited

Cited by 9 later decisions — most recently March 1981

7 state decisions

3018861890190019101920193019401950196019701980decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Thornton, J.

¶1In this action the controversy relates to an island in the Sacramento River, in that portion of the river which is a navigable stream.

¶2The plaintiff claims under a patent from the United *135States, issued on a confirmed Mexican grant. The land as granted was bounded by the Sacramento River, and lay on the west side of the river. The patent, by its terms, is also bounded by the river.

¶3The contention of plaintiff is, that the land granted and patented to him being bounded by the river extends to the thread of the stream and includes the island.

¶4We do not concur in this view. The river being navigable in fact, the title extends no farther than the edge of the stream. We think this conclusion accords with the rulings in People v. Gold Run D. & M. Co., 66 Cal. 138, and Lux v. Haggin, 69 Cal. 255.

¶5We think that the court ruled correctly in holding that the plaintiff acquired no title to the land sued for by the patent of the United States in this case.

¶6The appellant relies to sustain his contention greatly on the judgment in the Railroad Company v. Schurmeir, 7 Wall. 272. We cannot perceive its applicability to the facts of this case. The land sued for here is clearly an island. The court in the case cited manifestly did not hold the land in controversy to be an island. The slough, so called, in that case was not, nor was it held to be, a part of the Mississippi River.

¶7It makes no difference that the portion of the Sacramento River on the west side of the island is not ordinarily navigable or not navigable at all. There is but one river, and that a navigable one. The waters on each side of the island constitute parts of one navigable stream.

¶8The judgment and order are affirmed.

¶9McKee, J., and Sharpstein, J., concurred.

¶10Hearing in Bank denied.

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