A man is suing the City of Boise in federal court over what he says were “attacks” on an island in the Boise River, which he claims possession of.
According to court documents, Christopher Burdge has claimed “adverse possession” of an island in the Boise River he says was created in the 1860s when a canal was dug around the land to power a sawmill and float logs along the property. Burdge, who is representing himself in court, said he hopes to preserve the island as a historic site. In the court documents, he said that he believed the property was abandoned in 1925 due to the Great Depression and the sawmill becoming obsolete in the area.
Burdge says he has “possession”
The lawsuit said he has been working to obtain “adverse possession” of the property since 2017 and has camped there for eight summers and two winters.
During this time, Burdge claimed in the lawsuit that the city “schemed” to get him off the property so they could “steal” it and build high-end condos. Burdge also claimed in the suit that during the winter of 2018 and 2019, when he was camping at the property, he suffered “abuse” and “harassment” from the city government and the Boise Police Department…