Preuss Mining District (Utah). Recorder Mining records, 1880-1897.

One of Utah's major mineral belts extends through the Wah-Wah and Tushar Mountains of Beaver and Piute Counties. Mining in this area prospered during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The Preuss Mining District was organized in September 1880 in the area adjoining the San Francisco Mining District in northern Beaver County. It is bounded on the west by the Wah-Wah Valley. 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). The Preuss District mining books begin with minutes of miners meetings and a copy of district by-laws. These are followed by notices of location for claims within the district. Each location notice identifies a claim by a unique name and gives a description which includes theclaim's dimensions. Location notices also provide the names of claim holders and dates of discovery and recording. Some claims describe where the claim was recorded in the records of the Beaver County recorder. Each location notice is signed by a Preuss Mining District recorder or deputy.