Year: 1872




The people of the State of California, rep
resented in Senate and Assembly, do enact
as follows:


SECTION 1. All public roads and trails in
the county Of Placer which may hereafter be
located in accordance with the provisions ct
this Act are hereby declared public high
ways.


Sec. 2. The Supervisors of the several
Supervisor Districts in the county of Placer
shall be ex-ofaicio Road Supervisors of their
respective districts, and they are hereby au-
thorized and empowered to have general su-
pervision of the public highways in said dis
tricts, ,and shall personally examine and inspect
ali the public roads and trails of their respec-
tive districts, at least once in each quarter
and at the first regular meeting after such
examination and inspection shall report in
writing to the Board of Supervisors the con-
dtion of the highways in their said districts.


Sec. 3. Each township of Placer county
is hereby declared to be road district of
said county; provided, the Board of Super
visors may, whenever they deem it neccssa-
ry, subdivide township into two or more
districts. The Board of Supervisors of said
county shall, at their regular meeting in
February of each year, appoint one Road
Master for each road district of said county
who shall hold such office for the term of one
year from the first Monday in March after
their appointment; provided, said Board may
remove any Road Master from office at any
time for good cause shown. Each Road
Master shall be a resident citizen and tax
payer of the road district for which he is ap-
pointed. 1t shall be the duty of the Clerk
of the Board of Supervisors to issue to the
person or persons so appointed certificate Of
such appointment, and each of them shall,
within fifteen days thereafter, qualify by
taking the oath of Office and filing with the
Clerk of the Board a good and sufficient
bond in the penal sum of one thousand dol
lars, to be approved by the County Judge,
and conditioned for the faithful performance
of his duties as such Road Master. All va
cancies in the office of Road Master shall be
filed by the Board of Supervisors.


Sec. 4. 1t shall be the duty of the Road
Masters of the several road districts appoint
ed by the Board of Supervisors in February,
1872, Immediately after entering upon their
duties as such Road Masters, to examine
and inspect all roads and trails at that time
used as public highways in their said dis
tric;s, and shall, at the regular meeting of
the Board of Supervisors in May. 1872, re-
port TO said Board, in writing, a description
of all such roads and trails; such description
shall state distinctly the point of beginning,
course, terminus, and general character of
each of said roads and trails; and shall also
report which, if any, of said roads and trails,
in his Judgment should be declared public
highways.


Sec 5. The Board of Supervisors shall,
at their regular meeting in February, 1872,
procure a suitable book. to be designated as
"Record Book of Roads and Highways" in
which shall be recorded all proceedings had
by them in regard to roads and highways in
Placer county; and which said book shall
be open to the inspection of any taxpayer
in the county; and copy of any proceed
ings, recorded in said record book, certified
by the clerk of the Board of Supervisors
under seal, shall be taken in evidence in any
court; and any person shall be entitled to
receive from the clerk of the said Board
certified cory Of any order OR proceeding
contained therein, upon payment to said
clerk the fees allowed by law to the County
Recorder for certified copies of papers.


Sec. 6. The Board of Supervisors shall,
at their regular meeting in May, 1872, ex
anime and inspect the reports of the road
masters of the several road districts, and
shall determine and declare by an order en-
tered in the Record Book of Roads and
Highways, what roads and trails heretofore
used as Public Highways shall be Public
Highways, apd which said order shall state
distinctly the beginning, general course and
terminus of such roads and trails; and such
roads and trails SO declared shall be and
they are hereby declared and dedicated as
Public Highways.


Sec. 7. 1t shall be the duty of each Road
master to have charge Of the public high
ways in his district, to maintain and keep in
repair all public roads, trails and bridges in
his district (and none otherl, provided the
expense of such maintenance and repairs
shall in no year exceed the amount of money
in the road fund of bis district collected for
said year. lie shall cause suitable guide
boards to be erected at the junction of i'm
portant roads and trails He may, with the
consent and approval of the Road Super
visor Of his district, make contracts for the
building of bridges, purchase of materials
and lumber for any necessary work on the
highways of his district, and shall perform
such other service in the construction, repair
and maintenance and opening of new roads
and trails as may be required by any order
or ordinance of the Board of Supervisors:
But there shall not be expended in any road
district during any year more money, than is
collected for said district during SUCH year.
ANY road-master Or person in bis employ shall
have the right to make use of any grounds
dirt or timber for improving the public high
ways, which may be necessary, from any
adjacent, unimproved land, and if damages
be claimed they shall be ascertalned and
awarded in the same manner as is provided
in this Act for ascertaining and awarding