Cottonwood Springs Mining District (Utah). Recorder Mining records, 1892-1893.

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 companies in Tooele County. The Cottonwood Springs Mining District was organized in the area between the Sheeprock and Simpson Mountains near the Tooele-Juab County border. The records kept by the Cottonwood Springs Mining District recorder primarily include location notices. 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 recorded by the Cottonwood Springs District describe claims involved and affirm compliance with federal and territorial laws. Each notice names the locator orlocators and provides the date and time of recording. All documents are signed by the district recorder.