RE: Koshkonong Access at Oxbow PT 1

Hi Brian,


It is not unusual for land to be dedicated as public access but never improved or used for that purpose. Over time, these orphan parcels sometimes become overgrown and ignored. Other times, the adjacent landowners just mow a little beyond their property lines and treat the public access strip as though a part of their lot.

There is a 1920's statute that required dedication of a 66 foot public access each half mile when lake or stream frontage land is platted. It is still on the books. The 1920-era statute gives title to the dedicated access lots to the township in trust for the public. Sometimes towns don't want them for various reasons (expense, liability, angry neighbor who doesn't want public use next door.). A 1980's law establishes a process to vacate these public land. Other times these are just public roads laid out all the way to the water's edge, but they didn't pave the last part.

I don't know what this guy found at the court house, but my bet is that it's the plat of a subdivision in which this strip is shown as a public access point.