Gardner v. Fort
Gardner v. Fort
Opinion of the Court
The only material question involved in this appeal is whether the evidence supports the court’s finding as to the proper location of the north line of section 13, T. 21 S., R. 61 E., M.D.M., in Clark County, Nevada, and, more particularly, the location of the N*4 corner of said section approximately at the center of a straight line connecting the NW corner with the NE corner of said section. Our conclusion is that it does. Conversely stated, did the evidence justify the court’s rejection of appellant’s contention that a certain monument, consisting of ■an unmarked 4x4 post in a mound of rocks, set some distance from the quarter corner point described, was the actual original N^4 corner. We are satisfied that the court was justified by the evidence in rejecting such contention. Other points are determined in the following opinion.
We refer to the respondents Arthur Fort and lone Katherine Fort as Fort and to appellant Walter L. Gardner as Gardner. Gardner and Fort’s predecessor were adjoining owners of so-called five-acre tracts. Fort’s predecessor, Humphrey, owned the tract to the
The patent to Fort’s predecessor Humphrey was for WV2 NW!4 NE14 NWi/4, containing five acres according to the official plat of the Bureau of Land Management. Patent to Gardner ■ was for W
The survey made by the Bureau of Land Management in November, 1952 resulted in placing the N quarter corner of section 13 on the north boundary of that section, approximately halfway between the NW corner and the NE corner. A subsequent survey and grading work by the state department of highways in constructing a road along the north boundary of section 13 destroyed or covered the monument that Eaton had found. The patent issued to Humphrey in August, 1954 and. the patent issued to Gardner in June, 1954, with respective descriptions as above set forth, were in accordance with the Bureau of Land Management survey. There was no evidence as to the respective dates of the entries (proper filings in the Bureau of Land Management and issue of certificates of entry and payment of fees) which resulted in the two respective patents.
Defendant asserts in his appeal (1) that the quarter corner found by Eaton is a monument and marker of the original survey; (2) that, if so, the survey by the
There is no substantial factual support of these contentions.
Fort contends in addition that Gardner’s present reliance upon the location of the monument found by his surveyor Eaton is a collateral attack upon the patent issued to Gardner as well as upon the patent issued to Humphrey, and that such collateral attack may not be made. Cragin v. Powell, 128 U.S. 691, 9 S.Ct. 203, 32 L.Ed. 566; Earl v. Morrison, 39 Nev. 120, 154 P. 75. This contention too we believe to be well founded.
Technically the judgment quieted plaintiffs’ title in the metes and bounds description of the approximate south 273 feet of the five-acre tract patented to their predecessor as described in his patent, and ordered the defendant to remove a fence placed by the defendant on plaintiffs’ said tract and enjoined defendant from trespassing on plaintiffs’ tract. The findings are amply supported and the conclusions drawn are warranted by said findings.
The judgment is affirmed with costs.
Section 2875.05e N.C.L., 1943-1949 Supp. (amendment Stats. 1953, 196, not affecting the situation), of the land surveyors’ act, requires a surveyor within 90 days after the establishment of points or lines to file a record of his survey with the county recorder, showing material evidence not appearing on any prior recorded or filed map, any material discrepancy with any such prior record, evidence that might result in alternate positions of points or lines, the establishment of points not ascertainable from inspection of such map without trigonometric calculations, showing all monuments found, describing them etc., giving their bearings and other similar data.
No copy of the original government township plat was offered in evidence by either party. Much of the evidence with reference to it was by way of statement of recollection of the witnesses.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- WALTER L. GARDNER v. ARTHUR FORT and IONE KATHERINE FORT
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published