HERCULES MINING DISTRICT (UTAH). RECORDER

Agency History #3138

CREATION

Miners with claims located north and south of the Goshen Wagon Road Pass in the Sheeprock Mountains of southeast Tooele County organized the Hercules Mining District on 18 January 1895. The development of the cyanide process in the early 1890s, and the construction of the first commercial cyanide mill in Mercur greatly enhanced the profitability of gold mining, stimulating mining activity, and prompting the organization of several new mining districts. These districts were organized according to federal law which states that mineral deposits in the public domain are free and open to exploration, and locators of the same have exclusive right of possession (Statutes at Large, Treaties, and Proclamations, of the United States of America, vol. 17, 1872, chap. 152). In 1897 the Utah Legislature enacted a mining law, which transferred responsibility for keeping mining records to county recorders (Laws of Utah, 1897, chapter 36).

FUNCTIONS

In accordance with federal guidelines, mining districts adopted by-laws to regulate mining activity in the district and elected recorders to keep records of claims. Prospectors in the Hercules District were required record a notice of location within 30 days of discovery and to sink a 4-foot shaft within 40 days. Some prominent mines were the Lion Lode, the Yellow Boy Mine, and the Blue Jay Mine.

ADMINISTRATION

The mining district recorder was elected from among the miners of the district for a one year term. He was allowed to collect for his services the same fees which were allowed to the Tooele County recorder.

ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

The recorder appointed a deputy to assist him. All location notices for 1896-1897 were signed by David Sharp, deputy recorder. In 1897 the Utah Legislature enacted a mining law which transferred responsibility for keeping mining records to county recorders. (Laws of Utah, 1897, chapter 36). The mining records of the Hercules District were transferred to the office of the Tooele County recorder.

DISTRICT RECORDER
Joseph Wilkinson	1895, Jan-

COMPILED BY: Rosemary Cundiff , August 2002

SOURCES

Blanthorn, Ouida. A History of Tooele County. Utah Historical Society, 1998.

Hercules Mining District (Utah). Recorder. Mining records. Utah State Archives (Series 24150).

Laws of Utah, 1897, Chapter 36. Utah State Archives (Series 83155).

Statutes at Large, Treaties, and Proclamations, of the United States of America, vol. 17, chap. 152. Published by authority of Congress, Boston: Brown, Little and Company.

Tooele County (Utah). County recorder. Mining records. Utah State Archives (Series 6150).

Young, Earl B. "The Mercur Mining District," News Bulletin of the Mineralogical Society of Utah. (December 1943) Vol. 4, no. 2, p. 13-30.