Canady v. Coeur D'Alene Lumber Co.

120 P. 830, 21 Idaho 77, 1911 Ida. LEXIS 151
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 23, 1911
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 120 P. 830 (Canady v. Coeur D'Alene Lumber Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Canady v. Coeur D'Alene Lumber Co., 120 P. 830, 21 Idaho 77, 1911 Ida. LEXIS 151 (Idaho 1911).

Opinion

SULLIVAN, J.

This action was commenced on the 15th day of June, 1909, for the purpose of having ordinances 71, 75 and 115 of the city of Coeur d’Alene declared null and void, and to compel the defendants to remove certain obstructions from the streets vacated by said ordinances, and to have respondents enjoined from obstructing the said streets in the future, and for damages in the sum of $25,000 alleged to have been suffered by reason of the maintenance of said obstructions placed in said streets and alleys by the lumber company.

Said ordinances were enacted for the purpose of vacating and discontinuing parts of certain streets and alleys in said city and to grant a franchise for a railroad on certain streets and alleys. Said ordinance No. 71 was approved March 10, 1900; No. 75 was approved November 6, 1900, and No. 115 was approved March 29, 1905. By the provisions of ordinance No. 75 the Coeur d’Alene Lumber Company, which was a domestic corporation, and its assigns were granted a franchise to build and maintain a railroad in certain streets of said city, also the exclusive right to the use of part of Water street and a part of certain other streets in said city Said franchise was granted for a period of twenty-five years for the purpose oi establishing a sawmill, planing-mill and lumber-yard on blocks Y, Z and Shore in said city. Ordinance No. 115, among other things, vacated and discontinued parts of other streets and alleys in said town.

In said ordinance No. 75 it is provided as follows:

“The said Coeur d’Alene Lumber Company, Limited, its successors and assigns, shall and will complete the erection and construction of the sawmill now located at or near said [84]*84Lake Avenue in said Coeur d’Alene City, and have the same in operation cutting and sawing and manufacturing logs into lumber within sixty days after the passage and approval of this ordinance, and the said Coeur d’Alene Lumber Company further agrees in consideration of the granting of this franchise to continue to operate said mill during the terms of this franchise, unless prevented by fire or the elements, and if the said Coeur d’Alene Lumber Company, Limited, its successors and assigns, fail or cease to operate said mill for a period of twelve months at any one time during the term of this franchise, then and in that event' this franchise to cease and to be null and void and of no force and effect. ’ ’

It appears that a sawmill had already been erected in said city on a part of the land on which said lumber plant is now situated, at the date of the approval of said ordinance No. 75, to wit, November 6, 1900.

The fifth section of ordinance No. 115 contains the following provision:

“And the said Coeur d’Alene Lumber Company, its successors and assigns, further agrees in consideration of the granting of this ordinance, to continue to operate a lumber manufacturing plant on the premises covered by this ordinance, during the term of this vacation, unless prevented by fire .or the elements, and if the said Coeur d’Alene Lumber Company, its successors and assigns, fail or cease to operate said lumber manufacturing plant for the period of twelve months at any one time, then and in that event this ordinance to cease and to be null and void and of no force and effect.”

That refers to the continued operation of said lumber manu-, faeturing plant, the object being to establish in said city a great lumber manufacturing plant.

It appears from the record that the Coeur d’Alene Lumber Company, Limited, which was an Idaho corporation, erected a part of said lumber plant at least nine years prior to the approval of said ordinance No. 75 and about eighteen years prior to the commencement of this action, and thereafter the Coeur d’Alene Lumber Company, a foreign corpora[85]*85tion, which was organized under the laws of the state of Washington on February 19, 1904, succeeded the Idaho corporation and enlarged said lumber plant and expended over $100,000 on said plant. That plant is located on blocks Y, Z and Shore in said city of Coeur d’Alene, and on part of the streets so vacated, said Shore block being a “made” block by filling in a'portion of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

It appears that one Tony A. Tubbs, who was at that time the husband of appellant herein, owned certain lands bordering on or near to said blocks Y, Z and Shore, said blocks being between the business part of the city of Coeur d’Alene and the said Tubbs’ land; that Tubbs had a portion of his said land platted into five blocks, numbered respectively from 1 to 5. This appellant succeeded to the interest of said Tubbs in said blocks and lands and brings this action to compel said lumber company to vacate the streets and alleys which were vacated and discontinued by the enactment of said ordinances, for damages and other relief. The defendants filed separate answers in which they denied that plaintiff was in any way damaged by said streets and alleys being vacated; denied that plaintiff’s land was at the time of the passage of said ordinance within the limits of said city, and also plead the statute of limitations and an estoppel.

Upon the issues thus made by the pleadings, at the close of plaintiff’s evidence a nonsuit was granted on motion of the defendants, who are respondents here, and judgment of dismissal was entered. • A motion for a new trial was denied and the appeal is from the judgment and said order.

On the trial the plaintiff offered evidence to prove that said blocks 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, platted by said Tony A. Tubbs, were a part of the town or village of Coeur d’Alene as first incorporated, and that they were a part of said city at the time said ordinances were enacted. Much of the evidence offered to prove that fact was rejected by the court and the action of the court in that regard is assigned as error. But from our view of the case, it will be unnecessary for us to pass upon all of the errors assigned in regard to the rejection of such testimony. Conceding that said Tubbs’ Addi[86]*86tion was a part of the town, village or city of Coeur d’Alene at the dates said ordinances were passed, the question is directly presented whether the plaintiff, under the facts of this case, can recover in this action. Two of said ordinances were passed in the year 1900, about nine years before this action was commenced, and after the lumber company was proceeding with its operations in establishing its plant and manufacturing lumber and had established on said blocks Y, Z and Shore and on parts of the streets so vacated an extensive and costly lumber plant more than five years prior to the commencement of this action, and without objection from appellant, she having actual notice of the enactment of said ordinances and of the erection of said plant, as a sawmill had been operated on said blocks Y, and Z since 1891. It is evident that an opening of said streets would now result in almost if not a total destruction of said lumber manufacturing plant, which was erected with the knowledge, permission and consent of the city, .under and by virtue of the permission granted by said ordinances. Under the facts of this case appellant should have acted promptly if she considered that her rights were invaded by the passage of said ordinances and the erection of said sawmill, planing-mill, etc., and not stood passively by and permitted such a large expenditure of money and made no objection to the closing and vacating of said streets and alleys.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
120 P. 830, 21 Idaho 77, 1911 Ida. LEXIS 151, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/canady-v-coeur-dalene-lumber-co-idaho-1911.