Series 23951

IRON COUNTY (UTAH). COUNTY RECORDER [537]

MINING DEEDS, 1899-1964.
2 microfilm reels

A separate agency history is available.

DESCRIPTION: The Iron County recorder used these books to record mining deeds, mineral certificates and patents. Mining deeds transfer ownership or interest in mining claims from one party to another. Each deed designates the parties involved, names the consideration amount, and describes what is being transferred including the name and description of the claim. They also identify the township in which the claim is located. Deeds are signed by the seller, authorized by a notary public, and recorded by the county recorder. Mineral certificates and patents transfer final legal title from the federal government. Final ownership of any mining claim involved more than discovery, possession and recording, but also required that the claimant work the ground and perform labor or otherwise pay for the claim. (see Statutes at Large, Treaties, and Proclamations, of the United States of America, vol. XVII, chap. 152, also Revised statutes of the United States, chap. 6, title 32). When full payment had been received or the necessary requirements met, the land office issued a mineral certificate which the claimant had recorded by the county recorder. Mineral certificates were followed by patents from the federal government, issuing final title to a mining claim. Certificates or patents state that the individual has entered and paid for the claim at the Salt Lake City land office. They describe the claim and also indicate its location in terms of township, range and section.

ARRANGEMENT: The documents in this series are arranged chronologically in the order they were recorded.

RESEARCH NOTE: The county recorder kept only mining deeds and mineral certificates or patents in books 1, 3 and 4, and recorded location notices and other mining documents elsewhere. In book 2, he or she included additional mining related documents. Beginning with book 4, the county recorder included general land office surveys and other related documents with each federally issued mineral certificate.

RELATED RECORDS: Iron County mining deeds are indexed by MINING DEEDS INDEX, series 23953. Notices of location for these claims were primarily recorded in MINING LOCATION NOTICES, series 6144; and MINING LOCATION NOTICES (PLACER CLAIMS), series 23952. Proof of labor was primarily recorded in MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS, series 23981. Some patents for mining claims were recorded in LAND PATENTS, series 83751. MINING ABSTRACTS, series 23955, provide reference to a few of the documents in this series.

FINDING AIDS: This series is indexed by MINING DEEDS INDEX, series 23953. Book 2 also contains an index within the volume.

PROCESSING NOTE: Iron County mining deed books were microfilmed by Utah State Archives in November 1974 and processed by Rosemary Cundiff in November 2001.

PREFERRED CITATION: Cite the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the creating agency name, the series title, and the series number.

CONTAINER LIST

Reel	Description
1	Dec 1899-Oct 1906 (Mining Deeds 1)
1	Oct 1906-Jul 1918 (Mining Records 2)
2	Aug 1918-Sep 1951 (Mining Deeds 3)
2	Sep 1951-Nov 1964 (Mining Deeds 4)