Clifton Mining District (Utah). Recorder

The Clifton Mining District was already well established when Congress passed a federal mining law in 1872, (Statutes at Large, Treaties, and Proclamations, of the United States of America, vol. 15, 1872, chap. 152) legitimizing the already established precedent that individuals had the right to claim mineral wealth in the public domain. Federal mining law also validated the authority of local mining districts to manage mining activity and keep records of claims. 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). The Clifton Mining District only temporarily complied with this requirement. Clifton District recorders soon regained custody of their records and continued to keep mining records for the district until well into the twentieth century.

Early Utah mining districts adopted by-laws to regulate mining activity within the district and elected recorders to keep records of claims. Like other early Utah mining districts, the Clifton District limited the extent of claims to 200 feet along the lode, with a width of 100 feet on each side. The original discoverer was allowed 400 feet. Original by-laws required the claimant to erect a stone monument at the site and to post thereon the date and a notice of location. By-laws allowed ten days after discovery for a notice of location to be recorded. The Clifton District recorder recorded all notices of location, minutes of miners' meetings and copies of the by-laws in hard bound books. Originally the recorder went to the ground to see that a proper monument had been erected before he recorded a claim.

In order to maintain the claim for a year, miners were required to work the claim for one day within the first sixty days and two additional days within one year. Original by-laws required the recorder to measure the work performed at each location, and provide claim owners with certificates stating that the work was satisfactorily performed and noting how long it would hold the claim. After federal mining law was enacted in 1872, miners in the Clifton District revised by-laws to conform to federally established regulations. Claims could be up to 1500 feet instead of 200 feet as previously imposed. The new labor requirement became $100 worth of work annually.

Clifton Mining District officers consisted of a president and a recorder. Both were elected from among the miners of the district for one year terms. The president presided at all miners' meetings. The recorder kept minutes as well as records of all claims. Clifton District recorders kept a business office in Clifton until 1915 and in that year moved the office to Gold Hill. Mining district books were open for public inspection.

Clifton Mining District recorders appointed deputies to assist them in carrying out their responsibilities. 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). The Clifton Mining District transferred its records to the Tooele County recorder's office in May 1897. However, by January 1900 a Clifton Mining District recorder had resumed record keeping for the district. In 1933 the state legislature acted to terminate any mining districts not complying with the law by ruling that at the termination of office of any mining district recorder still holding office, the district should be abolished and the office should remain vacant. A Clifton District recorder continued to keep the records of the district until 1938.