AGENCY: Lincoln Mining District (Utah). Recorder
SERIES: 23989
TITLE: Mining records
DATES: 1871-1890.
ARRANGEMENT: Chronological by date.
DESCRIPTION: The Lincoln Mining District, organized 16 January 1871, was one of several mining districts organized in Beaver County in the early 1870s. The district included 96 square miles in the area northeast of Minersville, Utah. 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. Prospectors organized the Lincoln District to manage mining operations and keep records of claims within the district. In 1872 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, vol. 17, 1872, chap. 152).
Lincoln Mining District books primarily contain notices of location for mining claims. Notices identify each claim by a unique name and provide a description which includes dimensions and location. They identify the names of claim holders and dates of discovery and filing. Since early claims were limited to 200 feet along a lode, several locators were generally listed on each claim. Each notice is signed by a Lincoln Mining District recorder or deputy. Early claims also include, on the same page, a record of work done. In addition to notices of location, Lincoln books also contain copies of district by-laws and minutes of miners' meetings. Lincoln minutes establish the ground rules for making mining claims as well as the distribution of town lots in Lincoln City, a mining camp established in July 1871.
RETENTION
DISPOSITION
RETENTION AND DISPOSITION AUTHORIZATION
Retention and disposition for this series is authorized by Archives general schedule County official records, GRS-305
AUTHORIZED: 09/04/2019
FORMAT MANAGEMENT
Paper: Retain in Office permanently after being microfilmed.
Microfilm master: Retain in State Archives permanently.
Microfilm duplicate: Retain in Office permanently.
Microfilm duplicate: Retain in State Archives permanently.
APPRAISAL
Historical
Lincoln Mining District records provide historical information about mining activity in Beaver County, Utah, near the area of Minersville, especially during the decade of the 1870s.
PRIMARY DESIGNATION
Public