Series 24163
Clifton Mining District (Utah). Recorder Miners meeting minutes
Dates: 1869-1932.
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 Clifton Mining District, organized in October 1869 in the Deep Creek Mountains of western Tooele County (Utah), included the mining camps, Clifton and Gold Hill. Travelers and prospectors found an abundance of mineral deposits in the Deep Creek Mountains, and according to established precedent, mineral deposits in the public domain were free and open to exploration, and locators of the same had exclusive right of possession. In local areas miners organized mining districts and elected district recorders to oversee mining operations and keep records of claims. Congress validated these precedents by passing a federal mining law in 1872 (See Statutes at Large, Treaties, and Proclamations, of the United States of America, 1872, vol. 17, 1872, chap. 152). Beginning with a meeting to organize a district, claim holders in Clifton and Gold Hill gathered at annual and special meetings to elect recorders for the district, to establish or review district by-laws, and to address other concerns. By-laws books contain the minutes of miners' meetings and copies of district by-laws as they were adopted and revised. Of particular interest, Clifton District miners' meeting minutes contain details of a controversy over the recordership of George W. Brown (1874, 1883). Miners in the district questioned and investigated his competence and integrity.
Arrangement
Chronological by meeting date
Research Note
By-laws Book 2 includes a copy of the index to Notices of Location Book L and proof of labor documents for 1899.
Related Records
Location notices from Clifton Mining District (Utah). Recorder, Series 24331, contain details of the claims filed in the Clifton District and are the primary records kept by the Clifton Mining District recorder. Miners' meeting minutes for 1890-1894 are included in Location Notices Book X.
Proof of labor record books from Clifton Mining District (Utah). Recorder, Series 24332, contain miners' affidavits showing proof of labor on their claims. Affidavits for 1899 were included in the minute books.
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.
Gaps in Series
The Clifton District minute books do not include minutes for the years 1890-1898. However, minutes for Jan 1890-Apr 1898. However, minutes for Jan 1890-Apr 1894 are in the back of Location Notices, series 24331.
Processing Note
Records for the Clifton Mining District were processed by Rosemary Cundiff in October 2002. Because of the poor quality of the microfilm, Utah State Archives refilmed these books and updated the inventory in May 2003.
Indexing Terms
- Mining claims--Utah--Tooele County.
- Corporate minutes--Utah--Tooele County.
- Mining districts--Utah--Tooele County.
- Utah--Tooele County--Mines and mineral resources.
- Gold Hill--Utah.
- Clifton--Utah.
Page Last Updated October 18, 2012.