Black Mountain Mining District (Utah). Recorder

Entity: 3198
Entity Type: Mining District

Abstract

The decade of the 1890s was a boom time for mining in the state of Utah, and one of the state's major mineral belts extends through the Wah-Wah and Tushar Mountains of Piute and Beaver Counties. Beaver County prospectors organized the Black Mountain Mining District at Minersville in July 1895. The boundaries of this district extended from the Minersville Reservoir, south to the Beaver/Iron County line, west to the Parowan Canyon road, north to the Beaver River, and east to the beginning. The Black Mountain District was organized according to federal law which allows individuals to claim mineral wealth in the public domain. In the nineteenth century, miners in local areas organized districts to manage mining activity and keeps records of claims. In 1897 the Utah Legislature enacted a mining law which transferred responsibility for keeping mining records to county recorders.

Biography/History Notes

By federal regulation claims could be 1500 feet along a lode with 300 feet on each side. In order to maintain the claim, prospectors were required to do at least one hundred dollars worth of work on the claim annually. Local districts could impose additional requirements as long as they were not in conflict with federal law. The miners of the Black Mountains District simply stated in their by-laws that they adopted federal law. Claims were to be recorded within 30 days of discovery.

Miners in the Black Mountain District elected recorders for one year terms. By-laws required that the recorder be a claim holder in the district and allowed him to collect one dollar for each claim recorded.

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). At that time the records of the Black Mountain district were transferred to the office of the Beaver County recorder.

Hierarchy

Black Mountain Mining District (Utah). Recorder