Smith v. Town of Onalaska
Smith v. Town of Onalaska
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff claims that he is damaged, as owner of the two forty-acre pieces of land heretofore described, by the action of the town board and the superintendent of highways in changing the course of the creek within the limits of the highway. He instituted proceedings under sec. 1237, Stats., by applying to the supervisors of the town for the appointment of electors to appraise his alleged damages. The required steps under this statute for the appraisement of the damage plaintiff claimed to have suffered were taken and resulted in a determination by the appraisers that
The plaintiff contends that he is entitled to recover in this proceeding -whatever damages resulted'to his property by diverting the course of this creek, within the limits of the highway, pursuant to the order of the town board and the action of the superintendent of highways in making the alleged improvement of the highway in the manner above stated. This contention of the plaintiff cannot be sustained because he claims the right to recover for injuries not embraced in the proceeding provided for in secs. 1236, 1237, and 1237a, Stats. Sec. 1236 authorizes any superintendent of highways and persons under his direction ... to enter upon any lands adjoining to or near any highway in his town or district and construct such drains or ditches as may he necessary for the improvement or preservation of such highways;” and that he “. . . may enter upon any unimproved lands adjoining to or near any highway in his town or district and gather or dig stones, gravel, sand, clay or loam and cut any wood or trees, and take away the same for the purpose of making or improving any highway. . . .” Sec. 1237 makes provision for “Any owner or occupant of lands so entered upon or used for any of the purposes mentioned in the preceding section,” who feels aggrieved, to apply to the supervisors of the town for appointment of three electors to appraise the damages, who shall proceed in the manner prescribed and make report of their ap-praisement by filing it with the town clerk. Sec. 1237a makes provision for an appeal from such appraisement and for a trial of the question of the alleged damages in circuit court. It is manifest that this proceeding was provided for an appraisement of the damages caused in cases where the superintendent of highways or persons under his direction entered upon lands “adjoining to or near any highway in his
By the Court. — The judgment appealed from is affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.