Shambip Mining District 1870-1873 (Utah). Recorder Mining records, 1870-1873.

On 11 July 1870 miners in the St. John precinct of Tooele County met to organize the Shambip Mining District. According to established precedent, which was later validated when Congress passed a federal mining law, 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. (See Statutes at Large, Treaties, and Proclamations, of the United States of America, vol. 17, 1872, chap. 152). Records for the Shambip District begin with a copy of the by-laws for the district. These are followed about twenty location notices or claims. Each location notice provides the dimensions of the claim and tells the name by which it was identified. Each notice indicates the discovery date, tells the names of locators and identifies how many feet each was entitled to. All location notices are signed by the district recorder, J.J. Child.