Rocky Mining District (Utah). Recorder Mining records, 1872-1891.

The Rocky Mining District, organized 27 March 1872, was one of several mining districts organized in Beaver County, Utah, in the 1870s. By-laws defined the boundaries as all of an isolated chain of mountains six miles north of Shenandoah City and 2 miles west of the Beaver River (the Rocky Range which is just north of Milford). Prospectors organized this district to manage mining operations and keep records of claims. Later that same year Congress validated the authority of local mining districts as well as the already established precedent that individuals have the right to claim mineral wealth in the public domain (Statutes at Large, Treaties, and Proclamations, of the United States of America). The Rocky Mining District book primarily contains notices of location for mining claims. Each notice identifies the claim by a unique name which is prominently written at the top of the page. Notices provide descriptions for each claim, identify the names of claim holders, and provide datesof discovery and filing. Since early claims were limited to 200 feet along a lode, several locators were generally listed on each claim. Early claims also include, on the same page, a record of work done. In addition to notices of location, the Rocky book also contains a copy of by-laws and miners' meeting minutes. Electing a recorder was the main business at miners' meetings.