Series 24156
Free Coinage Mining District (Utah). Recorder Mining records
Dates: 1895-1897.
1 microfilm reel
These records are housed in the Utah State Archives' permanent storage room.
Historical Note
An agency history is available.
Scope and Content
The development of the cyanide process in the early 1890s and the construction of the first commercial cyanide mill in Mercur stimulated mining activity and prompted the organization of several new mining districts in Tooele County. The Free Coinage District was organized in 1895. The records kept by the Free Coinage Mining District recorder begin with the minutes of miners' meetings, a copy of by-laws for the district, and revisions to the same. These records are followed by notices of location for claims staked in the district. According to federal law, mineral deposits in the public domain were free and open to exploration, and locators of the same had exclusive right of possession. Local mining districts managed mining operations and recorded claims. (Statutes at Large, Treaties, and Proclamations, of the United States of America, vol. 17, 1872, chap. 152). Location notices for the Free Coinage District affirm compliance with federal and local laws. Each location notice names the locator, provides a name for the claim, and describes it both in terms of dimensions and location. Notices provide dates of discovery and filing and are signed by Edward Bird, district recorder. Free Coinage records also include a few labor certificates showing proof of assessment work required to hold claims.
Arrangement
By record type, thereunder chronological by date.
Related Records
Mining records from Tooele County (Utah). County Recorder, Series 6150, contain mining records for the Free Coinage District recorded after 1897.
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
The records of the Free Coinage Mining District were processed by Rosemary Cundiff in August 2002.
Finding Aids
Indexes: The district recorder included an index at the beginning of Book B, which provides reference by claim name to the claims recorded in that book.
Indexing Terms
- Free Coinage Mining District (Utah)—By-laws.
- Free Coinage Mining District (Utah)—Corporate minutes.
- Mining claims—Utah—Tooele County.
- Mines and mineral resources—Property—Utah—Tooele County.
- Utah—Tooele County—Mines and mineral resources.
Page Last Updated October 18, 2012.