Series 24001San Juan County (Utah). County Recorder Mining location notices (lode claims)
Dates: 1900-1951.
4 microfilm reels
These records are housed in the Utah State Archives' permanent storage room.
Historical Note
An agency history is available.
Scope and Content
The San Juan County recorder kept a separate set of books in which to record location notices for lode claims. Federal mining law outlined that the first step toward ownership of mineral deposits in the public domain was the discovery of a potentially productive site and recording a claim or notice of location. (see Statutes at Large, Treaties, and Proclamations, of the United States of America, vol. XVII, chap. 152, also Revised Statutes of the United States, chap. 6, title 32). Lode location notices are defined in terms of identified sections of veins or lodes of quartz or other rock bearing gold, silver or other precious metals. By federal law, lode claims could not exceed 1500 feet along the lode. Each claim in these books serves as notification that the undersigned locator has complied with United States and local laws and is entitled to a certain specifically named claim. Each notice identifies the names of locators, names and describes the claim, and provides dates of location and filing. Most of the notices in these books do not identify a mining district, nor do they indicate the locator's objective. However, occasionally stated objectives were copper and uranium. A proliferation of notices recorded 1948-1951 can be attributed to uranium development which became important in San Juan County after World War II.
Arrangement
Chronological by date recorded.
Research Note
In addition to notices of location for lode claims, these books are sprinkled with placer notices, deeds, and affidavits showing proof of labor. Several mining or uranium leases were also recorded in books R 2-R 4. A large section of preprinted location notices was inserted near the end of Book R 4. These copies are too faded to be legible.
Related Records
Official records from San Juan County (Utah). County Recorder, Series 6682, contain notices of location for lode claims recorded after 1951.
Miscellaneous records from San Juan County (Utah). County Recorder, Series 23400, contain additional mining location notices for lode claims.
Mining records index (locations) from San Juan County (Utah). County Recorder, Series 23583, provides reference to the records in these books.
Mining maps from San Juan County (Utah). County Recorder, Series 23905, depict groups of claims owned by uranium developers.
Mining records from Blue Mountain Mining District (Utah). Recorder, Series 24035, contain many location notices for lode claims recorded prior to 1897.
Mining records from San Juan County (Utah). County Recorder, Series 84250, contain additional mining location notices for lode claims.
Additional Forms
This series is available on microfilm.
Access Restrictions
This series is classified as Public.
Preferred Citation
Cite the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the creating agency name, the series title, and the series number.
Processing Note
San Juan County mining location notices for lode claims were microfilmed by San Juan County in March and April 2001 and processed by Rosemary Cundiff in January 2002.
Finding Aids
Indexes: San Juan County Mining records index (locations), series 23583, provides reference by name of claim to the records in this series.
Indexing Terms
- Uranium mines and mining--San Juan County (Utah).
- Mines and mineral resources--Ownership--San Juan County (Utah).
- Mining claims--San Juan County (Utah).
- Mines and Mineral Resources
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