Series 24849
Mercur Mining District (Utah). Recorder Mining records, 1895-1897.
1 microfilm reel
These records are housed in the Utah State Archives' permanent storage room.
Historical Note
See history of the records' creator.
Summary of Records
Scope and Content
Mercur Mining District records include district by-laws and notices of location for claims staked in the district. 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). Each notice of location recorded in the Mercur District affirms compliance with mining laws, includes a detailed description of the claim, names locators, and includes dates of discovery and filing. Each claim is identified by a unique name, such as Fortune, Sunset, or Bobtail Horse. Claim names are written prominently at the top of each page.
Research Note
The Mercur Mining District to which these records pertain does not include Mercur, the mining community of the same name. Mercur, the mining town, was a center of mining activity in Tooele County in the 1890s, and was located in the Camp Floyd District. Because Mercur was so prominent, the Camp Floyd District was also sometimes called the Mercur District. The Mercur District to which these records pertain was located to the west in Skull Valley.
Arrangement
Concurrent by volume, thereunder chronological by date.
Additional Forms
This series is available on microfilm.
Access Restrictions
This series is classified as Public.
Use Restrictions
These records are available for reproduction and use.
Preferred Citation
Cite the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the creating agency name, the series title, and the series number.
Acquisition Information
These records were acquired from the creating agency through established retention schedules.
Processing Information
Mercur Mining District records were microfilmed by Utah State Archives in January 2003 and processed by Rosemary Cundiff in February 2003.
Other Finding Aids
Indexes: Volume 1 includes an index which provides reference both by claim name and names of locators.
Related Material
Mining records from Tooele County (Utah). County Recorder, Series 6150, contain records for the Mercur District recorded after 1897.
Mining records from Camp Floyd Mining District (Utah). Recorder, Series 10334, contain mining records for the area of the mining town, Mercur, which is not the same area but has the same name.
Container List
| Reel | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Volume 1; 1895 Nov-1897 Mar |
| 1 | Volume 2; 1895 Dec-1896 Feb |