Welsh v. Monson

79 N.W.2d 155, 1956 N.D. LEXIS 153
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 25, 1956
Docket7504
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 79 N.W.2d 155 (Welsh v. Monson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Welsh v. Monson, 79 N.W.2d 155, 1956 N.D. LEXIS 153 (N.D. 1956).

Opinion

GRIMSON, Judge.

This is an action to quiet title to Lot 6, including the South Half of the street adjoining Lot 6 on the north, in Block 82 Monson’s Subdivision of McKenzie & Coffin’s Addition to the City of Bismarck.

The property involved is included in the area known as McKenzie & Coffin’s Addition to the City of Bismarck. Plat of that addition was filed Dec. 18, 1882, recorded in Book A. of Plats in the office of the Register of Deeds of Burleigh County. On August 15, 1947, a plat of Monson’s Subdivision of part of McKenzie & Coffin’s Addition to the City of Bismarck was filed and recorded in the office of the Register of Deeds of Burleigh County. Included in that subdivision were Block 82 and Block 87 of McKenzie & Coffin’s Addition to the City of Bismarck. Between those two blocks, running east and west, Avenue F was laid out. On August 19, 1947, a resolution of the Board of City Commissioners of Bismarck was filed in the Register of Deeds Office and recorded in Book 268, p. 245, vacating the said Avenue F between Mandan St. and Third St. in the City of Bismarck which included Avenue F between Blocks 82 and 87 of Monson’s Subdivision of McKenzie & Coffin’s Addition to the City of Bismarck. Lot 6, Block 82 *157 adjoined Avenue F on the south. Lot 12, Block 87 adjoined Avenue F on the north. Avenue F lay between the two lots involved.

The district court found for the plaintiff and quieted title to Lot 6, including the south half of Avenue F, adjoining Lot 6 of Block 82 on the north, subject to whatever rights the public may have therein under the dedication of the plats of McKenzie & Coffin’s Addition and Mon-son’s Subdivision, but giving defendants Hindemith the right to remove within reasonable time any part of any building they may have erected on said south half of Avenue F. The defendants appeal from the judgment and the whole thereof and demand a trial de novo.

The evidence shows that on January 12, 1950, Martin B. Monson, the owner of the Subdivision, and Olga B. Monson, his wife, conveyed by warranty deed to William S. Ogan and Catherine B. Ogan, his wife, “Lot 6 in Block 82 of Monson’s Subdivision (with other property) of Block 82 of McKenzie & Coffin’s Addition to the City of Bismarck, N. Dak.” On June 19, 1951, the Ogans conveyed this property by warranty deed to George S. Welsh and Aldeen Welsh, his wife, the plaintiffs in this action.

About a year and a half later, on July 31, 1952, Martin B. Monson and Olga B. Monson, conveyed, by warranty deed to Henry Wadeson, the South 15.93 feet of Lot 12 and all of Avenue F between said Lot 12 and Lot 6, described by metes and bounds. On April 14, 1953, the Wadesons conveyed that identical property to Oscar A. Hindemith and Irene A. Hindemith, his wife, defendants in this action.

The main question involved in this action is whether the deed from Monsons to Ogans included title to the center of Avenue F adjoining Lot 6 on the north.

As a general rule and under our statutes a conveyance by an owner of land bounded by a street or a highway carries the fee to the center of the way unless the contrary is shown. 11 C.J.S., Boundaries, § 35, p. 580. Section 47-1010, NDRC 1943, provides:

“A transfer of land bounded by a highway passes the title of the person whose estate is transferred to the soil of the highway in front to the center thereof, unless a different intent appears from the grant.” See also Bichler v. Ternes, 63 N.D. 295, 248 N.W. 185.

Section 47-0916, NDRC 1943, provides:

“A transfer vests in the transferee all the actual title to the thing transferred which the transferor then has unless a different intention is expressed or is necessarily implied. It also transfers all its incidents unless expressly excepted, but the transfer of an incident to a thing does not transfer the thing itself.”

The South Dakota Court in Sweatman v. Bathrick, 17 S.D. 138, 95 N.W. 422, had identical statutes for interpretation and held:

“Under Comp.Laws 1887, § 2783, providing that an owner of land bounded by a public way is presumed to own to the center of the way, unless the contrary is shown, and section 3252, providing that a transfer of land bounded by a highway passes title to the center thereof, unless a different intent appears, a conveyance of property fronting on a road or street will be presumed to carry title to the center of the way, unless the fee therein is expressly reserved.”

The plaintiffs claim that under our statutes and the authorities, they own, by virtue of their deed, to the center of Avenue F adjoining Lot 6 on the north subject to the easement for street purposes. No reservation was made in the deed regarding the south half of. Avenue F. Defendants» *158 however, claim that Avenue F was vacated prior to the issuance of the deed to the Ogans and that, therefore, the grant from the Monsons to the Ogans and from the Ogans to plaintiffs of Lot 6 transferred title to them only to the south boundary of what had been Avenue F, and that by virtue of their deed from Monson they are the owners of all of Avenue F between Lots 6 of Block 82 and 12 of Block 87.

On this question of whether, on the vacation of a street, the conveyance by the owner of a lot adjoining the street still passes title to the center of the street, there is considerable authority. By a casual reading thereof there appears a divergence of opinion. When, however, the cases are carefully analyzed and the facts in each case considered the majority of decisions can be reconciled. The conclusion generally arrived at is that, unless there is a particular reservation in the deed, the title to the center of the street is passed by the conveyance of the abutting property owner except in cases where the street has been vacated in the manner provided by law. See Annotations 123 A.L.R. 542, 32 L.R.A.,N.S., 778, 784; Lewis v. City of Seattle, 174 Wash. 219, 24 P.2d 427, 27 P.2d 1119; Raleigh-Hayward Co. v. Hull, 167 Wash. 39, 8 P.2d 988; White v. Jefferson, 110 Minn. 276, 124 N.W. 373, 125 N.W. 262, 32 L.R.A.,N.S., 778, 784; Anderson v. Citizens’ Savings & Trust Co., 185 Cal. 386, 197 P. 113; Paine v. Consumers’ Forwarding & Storage Co. 6 Cir., 71 F. 626.

The question then arises whether Avenue F was legally vacated prior to the deed to the Ogans.

Section 40-5001, NDRC 1943, was in effect when Monson filed the plat of Mon-son’s Subdivision. Such plat did describe particularly the streets and alleys, together with the names, width, courses, boundaries, and the extent of all such streets and alleys as provided by said section. Monson’s plat complied with those requirements. The filing of the plat constitutes an offer by the owner to dedicate such streets and avenues to public use. The dedication is completed by action on behalf of the public by use thereof or by some action of the public authorities. 1 Roads and Streets, Elliott, Section 122, p. 141.

The plat of Monson’s Subdivision dedicated Avenue F, here involved, to public use for a street.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
79 N.W.2d 155, 1956 N.D. LEXIS 153, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/welsh-v-monson-nd-1956.