Hitchcock v. Lovelace

119 P.2d 151, 47 Cal. App. 2d 818, 1941 Cal. App. LEXIS 1246
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 19, 1941
DocketCiv. 2491
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 119 P.2d 151 (Hitchcock v. Lovelace) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hitchcock v. Lovelace, 119 P.2d 151, 47 Cal. App. 2d 818, 1941 Cal. App. LEXIS 1246 (Cal. Ct. App. 1941).

Opinion

WEST, J. pro tem.

This is an appeal by the sole appearing defendant Kathleen McN. Lovelace, on the judgment roll, from a judgment decreeing that plaintiffs are the owners of certain easements, rights of way, and rights in, to and over lands of appellant lying adjacent to property of plaintiffs in San Bernardino County and enjoining defendants, their agents, servants or employees from interfering with plaintiffs’ use and enjoyment thereof.

*821 The complaint contains several causes of action although the same are riot separately stated.

Five separate easements were contended for and decreed by the court, although in their use and enjoyment they were somewhat connected. To clearly understand them a somewhat detailed statement of facts is essential. This statement is taken from the findings of fact inasmuch as all of the allegations of the complaint were found to be true.

Plaintiffs for more than ten years prior to the commencement of the action had been the owners and in possession of a quarter section of land used by them as a camp for men and livestock incident to the business of raising cattle. This parcel has been and will be referred to herein as parcel 1. Appellant is and since 1932 has been the owner of and for three years before the action was instituted has been in possession of two large parcels contiguous to parcel 1 and lying westerly thereof but extending both to the northwest and southwest of the borders of parcel 1. The southeast corner of one of said parcels, herein referred to as parcel 2, is common with the northwest corner of parcel 1. Appellant’s other parcel, herein referred to as parcel 3 is a quarter section lying westerly of parcel 1, together with other lands lying southwesterly of parcel 1 and having a northeast corner common with the southwest corner of parcel 1.

A natural watercourse known as Grapevine Creek has from time immemorial flowed northerly down Grapevine Canyon across parcel 1. For over 35 years the general public, including the plaintiffs and their predecessors in interest, have used and traveled a public highway known as Old Road or Dead Man’s Point Road, which extends from the mouth of Grapevine Canyon on parcel 1 in a northwesterly direction across parcel 1 intersecting the west line thereof at a point 130 feet south of the common northwesterly corner of parcel 1 and the southeasterly corner of parcel 2 and continuing across parcels 2 and 3 and lands northwesterly of parcel 2 to a main highway which extends easterly and westerly between Victorville and Lucerne Valley to the north of the lands of the parties to this action.

Another canyon known as Vader Canyon lies westerly of Grapevine Canyon and extends southerly to the summit of the San Bernardino mountains and northerly to its mouth *822 which is located on parcel 3. Near the month of this canyon waters from time immemorial have risen to the surface and have formed a spring known as Vader Canyon Spring, the production of which has been augmented by means of a tunnel driven into the west wall of the Vader Canyon. A public highway extends northerly from the head of Vader Canyon which is approximately one quarter of a mile south of the south line of parcel 3 proceeding along the bottom of the canyon across parcels 3 and 2, and joins the old road on parcel 2. For more than 35 years the general public, including plaintiffs and their predecessors, have traveled and used Vader Canyon Road into the canyon and to the summit of the mountains lying to the south.

In the month of March, 1935, plaintiffs, for the purpose of providing an additional means of travel from the main highway to parcel 1, constructed a road herein referred to as “New Road,” extending from said main highway at a point due north of the west line of parcel 1 south in a straight line to the old road at the point where the old road intersects the west line of parcel 1.

For more than 35 years the general public, including plaintiffs and their predecessors in interest, have used and traveled a trail referred to herein as the cattle trail, which ascends out of Grapevine Canyon on parcel 1 near the mouth of the canyon and extends in a general southwesterly direction into parcel 3 and over the foothill which comprises the east wall of Vader Canyon and then proceeds along the east wall of Vader Canyon to the bottom of the Canyon where it joins with the Vader Canyon Road continuing up said Vader Canyon along the road to the head of Vader Canyon and then continues from the southerly terminus of Vader Canyon Road along the walls of Vader Canyon to the summit of the mountains. From time to time plaintiffs and their predecessors in interest and also members of the public using the cattle trail have cut away portions of the mountainside on parcel 3 along the walls of Vader Canyon to facilitate the passage of livestock and cattle.

The general public, including plaintiffs and their predecessors in interest, have for more than 35 years used the waters of Vader Canyon Spring for domestic purposes and for the watering of livestock, during all of which time free and uninterrupted access has been had thereto by means of *823 the Vader Canyon Road and the cattle trail, and for more than ten years plaintiffs and their predecessors in interest have maintained a trough at the spring for the use of the general public and for plaintiffs’ livestock. The trough so maintained was destroyed by the defendants some time during the year 1937, and upon plaintiffs learning of such destruction they constructed a cement trough at the spring and conveyed waters from the spring by means of pipes to the cement trough. This cement trough was in turn destroyed by defendants, and thereafter defendants have prevented the installation of any facilities for collecting and using said waters.

Prom time to time since 1936, the defendants have taken steps to interfere with plaintiffs’ use of the various roads and have also obstructed the cattle trail and prevented the effective use of the waters from the Vader Canyon Spring. Within a year prior to the filing of this action an iron rail was imbedded in the old road near the west line of parcel 2 by defendants and they have constructed barriers on said road on parcel 3 and near the east line thereof. They have also erected signs in the road stating that it was closed and that persons using it would be guilty of trespass. They also constructed fences on Vader Canyon Road both north and south of the Vader Canyon Spring in the years 1936 and 1937. In 1937 they constructed a fence across the cattle trail at a point where the trail proceeds along the east wall of Vader Canyon and within a year prior to the filing of the action placed obstructions on the new road near its intersection with the north line of parcel 2 and near its intersection with the south line of parcel 2. Their conduct with regard to the Vader Canyon Spring and the destruction of the water troughs maintained by plaintiffs has heretofore been alluded to. Defendants have also threatened plaintiffs with bodily harm in the event they should enter upon parcels 2 and 3 or any portion thereof either for the purpose of using any of the roads or the spring or for the purpose of attempting to remove any of the barriers or obstructions, and they have threatened to kill any livestock of the plaintiffs which might enter upon appellant's property and have forbidden the plaintiffs any right to use the roads, trail or spring.

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Bluebook (online)
119 P.2d 151, 47 Cal. App. 2d 818, 1941 Cal. App. LEXIS 1246, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hitchcock-v-lovelace-calctapp-1941.