Humboldt County v. Van Duzer

This is an appeal from a judgmenl in favor of plaintiff quieting title against defendants to a strip of land in Humboldt County, acquired by the county in the year 1880, for the purpose of a public road and ferry crossing over Eel River.

The land in question was deeded in 1880 to the county by deiendant Van Duzer’s predecessor, George H. Singley, for a money consideration, by an ordinary grant deed describing the land conveyed by metes and hounds, conveying the fee and not specifying that the land was conveyed for road and ferry purposes. The deed was made in pursuance of the report of a board of appraisers appointed by the board of supervisors in 1879 for the purpose of selecting and appraising land to be acquired for ferry purposes at the place on the river called Singley’s Ferry. The report of the appraisers contained a map or plat showing the location of the land to be acquired, connecting roads, river bank, and other pertinent objects near by. The land itself, as shown on the map, was designated “New Road.” It was filed and recorded in 1880.

Singley had been licensed by the board of supervisors to operate Singley’s Ferry November 5, 1879. In December, 1880, Singley…