Tooele City Mining District (Utah). Recorder

In local areas miners organized mining districts and elected district recorders to oversee mining operations and keep records of claims. The recorder kept his record in a bound book which was open for public examinatoin, and he was required to show the validity of claims before recording. According to the original by-laws in the Tooele City District, prospectors were allowed to stake claims 200 feet in length and 100 feet in width, with the exception that the person who made original discovery was allowed 400 feet. The claim was to be marked with a notice posted on a blazed tree surrounded by a mound of stone. In order to hold the claim good for a year, the locator was required to perform 3 dollars worth of labor within the first three months after location. In 1872 the mining district adjusted by-laws to comply with newly enacted federal mining law, which allowed claims up to 1500 feet and established an annual labor assessment of at least 100 dollars to hold claims.

Miners in the district elected a recorder to "record all Notices of Location claims whether for mining or for other purposes." The recorder kept his record in a bound book which was open for public examination. He was required to ensure the validity of claims before recording, and was allowed to collect $3 for each claim recorded and in addition to collect travel money at the rate of $.10 per mile for visiting claims to examine them.

The recorder appointed deputies to assist him as needed. No location notices were recorded by the Tooele City Mining District recorder after 1883. By-laws were revised in 1887 and after that date the Tooele County recorder kept all records for the district.