Series 23991

NORTH STAR MINING DISTRICT (UTAH). RECORDER [3201]

MINING RECORDS, 1871-1897.
2 microfilm reels

A separate agency history is available.

DESCRIPTION: Based on the date records commence, Beaver County prospectors organized the North Star Mining District in the Star Mountain Range southwest of Milford in November 1871. This district included the mining camp Shenandoah City, and was separated from the Star District by Elephant Canyon. The North Star District was organized just six months before Congress passed a general mining law validating the already established precedent that individuals had 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). In local areas groups of miners organized districts to manage mining activity and to elect recorders to keep records of claims. The North Star District books primarily contain notices of location for claims. Each notice identifies a claim by a unique name, provides a description of its location, and identifies the names of locators. Since early claims were limited to 200 feet along a lode, several locators were generally listed on each claim. Notices include dates for discovery and filing and are signed by the district recorder or his deputy. In addition to notices of location, Book C also includes some affidavits showing proof of labor and some exemption notices recorded in years that Congress excused prospectors from the annual labor requirement (1893-1894). A newspaper report of a North Star miners' meeting including a copy of by-laws as they stood in 1894 has been pasted inside the front cover of Book C.

ARRANGEMENT: Records in Star District books are arranged chronologically by date filed.

RESEARCH NOTE: A page of miners' meeting minutes for the Rocky District, 1881, has been tucked inside the front cover of Book A and microfilmed there.

RELATED RECORDS: Some location notices for the North Star District are also included in the Beaver County recorder's NOTICES OF LOCATION BOOKS, series 23992. Rocky District MINING RECORDS, series 23994, hold the bulk of records for that district.

FINDING AIDS: North Star Mining District Record Book A includes an index at the end of the book and Record Book B includes an index at the beginning the book. Indexes provide reference by claim name.

PROCESSING NOTE: North Star Mining District record books were microfilmed in January 2002 as part of Utah State Archives Millennial Project and processed by Rosemary Cundiff in February 2003.

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	1871, Nov - 1872, Jun (Book A)
1	1872, May - 1872, Sep (Book B)
2	1872, Oct - 1888, Jul (Book B, cont.)
2	1888, Jul - 1897, May (Book C)