Case library · Whose Fish Are They?
Two Deeds, One Shore
Shively v. Bowlby (1894)
Charge: Tideland title disputeCourt: U.S. Supreme CourtState: OregonDocket: Whose Fish Are They?
Did a federal land patent bounded by a river carry title to the tideland below the high water mark?
The facts
A settler received a federal patent for a land claim bounded by a great river. His successors laid out blocks that ran past the high water mark and built a wharf several hundred feet into the water to serve shipping. Years later the state sold the same tideland to other buyers under a statute for disposing of submerged ground. Both sides held paper for the strip below high water.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: Shively v. Bowlby, 152 U.S. 1 (1894)
Read more at supreme.justia.com. The source reveals the outcome.