Fremont Lumber Co. v. Starrell Petroleum Co.

This is a suit to quiet title to approximately 25,000 acres of land in Lake County, Oregon. The plaintiff, Fremont Lumber Company, hereinafter called Fremont, and the defendant Starrell Petroleum Co., hereinafter called Starrell, are corporations. From a decree in favor of Fremont, the defendant Starrell, alone, appeals.

On August 25, 1954, Fremont entered into a lease with Starrell covering all the land above mentioned “for the purpose of investigating, exploring, prospecting, drilling and mining for and producing oil, gas, sulphur and all other minerals.”

The extent and legal significance of…