Nebraska v. Iowa
United States Supreme Court
143 U.S. 359 (1892)
Relevant factsFree
The center of the Missouri River's main channel marked the boundary between Nebraska (plaintiff) and Iowa (defendant). Between 1851 and 1877 the river's current caused rapid erosion on one bank and gradual soil buildup on the other, and in 1877 part of the river above Omaha abruptly abandoned its old channel for a new one. Both states claimed the same land, and Nebraska sued Iowa in the Supreme Court to fix the boundary.
IssueFree
Whether, where a river boundary between riparian states erodes rapidly on one side while gradually depositing soil on the other, the boundary shifts under the law of accretion rather than staying fixed under the law of avulsion.