Clifton Mining District (Utah). Recorder Location notices, 1869-1938.

The Clifton Mining District, organized in October 1869 in the Deep Creek Mountains of western Tooele County, included the mining camps Clifton and Gold Hill. Travelers and prospectors found an abundance of mineral deposits in the Deep Creek Mountains, so when Patrick Connor constructed a mill and smelter in Stockton, 125 miles to the east, mining activity in this area soon followed. The Clifton District was organized before Congress passed a general mining law in 1872. The district was founded on the assumed rights of individuals to explore and claim mineral wealth in the public domain and the tradition of organizing mining districts to manage mining operations and keep records of claims. Congress validated these rights (Statutes at Large, Treaties, and Proclamations, of the United States of America, vol. 17, 1872, chap. 152). Location notices in the Clifton District affirm compliance with district regulations and/or federal law. They give the name of the claim, its dimensions andlocation, and the names of locators. In case several locators made a single claim, as was frequently the case in early records, notices identify how many feet were allowed to each individual. Notices of location provide the date of location and the date filed and were signed by the mining district or county recorder.

While these Clifton District books primarily contain notices of location, there are some additional records and notes of interest. In the early 1870s many location notices were filed for the Clifton Mining and Smelting Company, and statements about labor performed to hold the claim were recorded on the same page as the notice of location. The bulk of Book M (Feb 1871-Jan 1873) deals with claims forfeited for non-compliance with district laws and claims declared free from forfeiture because compliance had been met. A number of the claims recorded in Book E (Feb 1882-Jul 1883) were marked 'illegal' (see description of miners' meeting minutes and comment about George W.Brown controversy). A copy of the by-laws for the Clifton District appears at the beginning of Book O (county recorder's book), and the second half of the same book was used as a file book for the 1912 period.

Federal law required an annual assessment of labor in order to maintain claims. Generally, affidavits showing proof of labor were filed separately, but between 1903 and 1905 they were included in these books. Random deeds, agreements or other mining related documents appear throughout. In 1893-1894, 1917-1918 and 1933-1934 Congress temporarily suspended the annual labor requirement for maintaining mining claims. But, in order to take advantage of this benefit, miners were required to file notices of their intention to hold claims. While these notices were filed separately in 1893-1894, they are included among notices of location for 1917-1918 and 1933-1934. Books for these time periods also include many amended notices of location.