OFFICE OF THE Al-rORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Eonomblo C. 9. HoClellan, ChUmen 

Fbh md 0-0 CarPlittee 

~0~0 or R0pre8tkmtw08 

Auatln, 'Percar 

Dear sic: 

era illundats 

ion or Texar above 

oont letter readr that area 0r 

of be aoqulred 

GtL-t for th8 operaon the Red River beginning 

mentioned dam la rapidly reaohing l 8tQ0 in it8 oonrtruotion vheroby Intpotindetd water8 have begun to a00UDIul4te. A oonrlderable part oi the volume of voter8 to be aooumulated behind the dam will have boon impounded by 

the area during the 8wmner monthl. Thir dam 

~111 budate a oonsldweble portion ot land in 
Honorable 0. S. MoClellan, page 2 

the stste of Toxar a8 us11 a8 tho State 0r Oklahow. 

'It ha8 been peVl0~8lp held by a deoroo Of 

the Supreme Court or the Pnlted State8 that the 

boundary botuoon Oklahoma and %xar 18 the south 

baXXk Or ROd RiVOr. 

9x1 thlr,oonneotlon in our oonrideration 

of the l bovo mnttoned bill, VI will thank you 

lr JOU all UldYer the rou0mg qW8tiOILt 

"Will the 8outh bank Oi the lake On tho 

T@Xa8 8itb OOMtltUtO the boundary line betuoon 

'faxor and OkhhW OF U&u the pXW8Mt 8OUth 

bank Of Rod Ri?er ~8ViOU81y l 8tabll8hed before 

th0 rormti0n 0r thi8 lake 8till remain the 

true boundary line oi Tourt’ 

s . 

. . . . 

The qUe8tiUU prerented, in OLW opinion, uaa an8Y0P04 by the United Stat@8 SIlprenrr COUFt &II the 088e Oi state Of 

OkhhOM V. State or 2e34%8, 260 U. 8. 606, 67 fi. Ed. $28, 43 

sup. ct. 221. Without revleuiag the 4istwy of the lltlgation ia the oar0 of Oklahoma t* Toxaa, or the multitude or 

qlWtiOlt8 r8i8od, it 18 l ufSl0leto nt l tnto that tho loaatlon 

or the boundary betuoen the tU0 8tate8 along Rod River Ya8 a 

paramount lorue. In diaoushtg the qU88tiOn the OoUrt raid: 

'&IF OOXl~1U8ifUi 18 t&t th0 Out bMk 8longl 

the 8OUthel'lJ 8140 Of th0 84 bed OOn8titUtie8 

tho 8OUth bank Or th0 rlVeP and thet the boundary 

18 on and along that bank at the mean level Of 

the water vhen it rcrrhor tha bank without overiloving it. 

“The boundary 118 it va8 in 1821, whea the 

treaty becane OrrO0tiv0, ia the boundary 0r today, 

8ubjeOt to the right appllortlon 0r the dootriner 

or l ro8lon and aooretlon and or avul8fon to any 

intervsning ohanger. or thoao dootrlnes this 

Court reoently raid: 
. 

mabk C. 8. YoClellan, pago 3 

“‘St ir rottlod boyond th8 poarlbility oi 

d.flpUt@ that Vher8 ruMlfIg 8trME8 8Cb the boundarler batvoea Statei, thb aame rulo applioa a8 

bbtroon private proprlotorr, namely, that when 

the bed 8~~4 ahrnnrl are eMage by the aatural 

and gradual prwea8b8 lawn U rro810n urd MorotlOJL, tbr bOWIUy fouf?~8 #O W;line 00~80 Of 

the l trormj rh.U* ZI‘ the 8treaa tram aq oauao, 

rutural or a&floial, 8~ddonl.y leaver its old 

h o d ~4 to ma l MW cm, br th8 prowa kaown 

u 8~ awlalaa, the reaalting 6h4ngb 0r skrnnrl 

m!ka ab obange of boundary, vhiah rIlpIla8 l.m 

thb 8dddb Or thb Old O~MJ&' &k#UI8a8 Vc, 

wtbb88b~, 296 u. 8. 158, in.’ 

IA l 8Ub8eQUmllt tiOl'O0 in th. 

Haroh 12 1923. round la 

6&7, It was aaid: 

261 u. ar 340, 

L. Rd. 

'¶'hl8 eaU8ohwl~~&b~nhe~d 

tti UPOJI OWt%h QUbItiOA8, Md the COWt hViill$ 

OOMldbMd thb I)- Ud maowed it8 OOJ&~~~~OM 

p gn o&loa dolivorbd January 15, 1923 (260 

. . . 

8ame oa8e randwbd 

43 Sup. Ct. 376, 67 

‘It 18 ordered, adjudged, %JJd deoPeedJ 

‘1. Tho boundary betama thb State8 of 

OkhhOU urd Text, uhePe it fO11W8 %hb OOUr8b 

of the Red River from the 100 th nsrlditm of 

VO8t mgitUd0 Of the 088tbrJJAbOundrrJ Or th0 

State 0r oklahmaa, 18 port or the iatbraat~oaal 

boundary o8tablldMd by the treaty of l819 botwoen the Unltbd State8 and Spala, and 18 on and 

%bJJ& thb 8Outh bMk Of thrt FiVbF 88 the 8Ud8 

uiat.84 ia l&l, vhon the troaty beoame ofiootha, UYO a8 &rOlMftOr 8t%tbd. 

‘2. Hhbco latervenlng 

-T 

8 IathatbMk 

ham oaourred through tha natura and gradual 

r 

OWla. koWn 88 erosion and l cor etla tn h b 

oundar~ ha8 rollwed tho 0-j but vh8re the 

8tre8m ha8 left it8 rooarr ohanael and made r0r 

it8bU 8 a w OM through l djawat up la bny d the 
Ea$orabk 0. 8. loClollaa, Moe 4 

prooora knwn F8 avul+4n~th* boundary ti8 not 

-_- -._ - - 

roxtwea the mango, Dut na8 remunoa on uIQ along 

;g;ez88 the 8OUthbUIkkfOFo the change w- 

. 

"3. t&W., 8iZW@ 1811, tb Ph.? hr8 OUt 8 

8UlOlUhPjCPrdQitioA41ohuuu1t&OU& 

7 

went 

u~onthe 8OUth 8idela8oRh~V8y~ 18x&d 

tm~tmir0 on that al-da has beocu an irlad, 

the boundary la al04 that part of the wuth 

b8e 88 tw0t0r0r~ l x.w 

7100~~ the northarrlytmk Y! 

v$ ì;a b y & $ -& -m 

vhare by aoarotlm Q uorlon there have boea 

dmqwnt ohanger Lo that bmk the boundmf 

&a ahanged 81th them, 

*I). m Wll.8 8tti8d in the ti8t tW0 

&mph villti equally rpplioabloto rush 

l * ry OOOUT lo. th0 rutumm 

Applying the ruler a8lriddo1mbytheUnitedStato8 

aup~~ court irr the oaao or OkUhoma to Texaa, aupro, it 1s 

olear that unlerr the ohaw in the river bank ooo~r8 thmugh 

the natural and gradual prooe88ea knovn a8 oro81on md aoorotion t&t th. boundart b&iVMJl ths tV0 8tJJte8 rtull WMiJi 

88 it vu in 1821. lb oom8trwtlon 0r Cu~.Iron Km end tha 

rubrequent larpoundiag of the v8tecr abate the 488 vould not 

oause a “n&tural and ~PUIUU’ ohaa&e 19 the bti, but oa the 

oontpary the transition vould ooour bJ roa8on of an ga;t,“al 

nnd l rtiriohl burlor plaood in the rtroam tbro 

genulty of manUn& llndelrtho IrUle a8 thur s8tabl8bed,atty T 

ohan~o la the bank ot Rad River vhloh 18 not gmdual and 

natural vlll not VOP& a ohngo in tha bounctuy betveon the 

two at&em along uld rive?. 

You ue thororwe advlaed t&t the bouadawy betveea 

Tour ~4 Oklahoma along Rod River vi11 remain the 8uw aft-or 

the l reotion 0r the Denlroa lbm a8 it va8 before, 8UbjOCt 

only to th0 l pplioatlon or the dootriacrr 0r ero8ion And ahoration as l bova o%plaimd. 

‘loIW8 VOPy tWly