Series 24042

A separate agency history is available.

DESCRIPTION: In March 1908 prospectors drilling for oil on the San Juan River opened a gusher which threw oil to a height of 70 feet. This discovery brought a stampede of speculators to San Juan County (Osmond L. Harline, "Utah's Black Gold," Utah Historical Quarterly, vol. 31, no. 3, p. 295-6). This volume, entitled "Rules and Regulations of the Monumental Mining District," contains minutes of meetings held among claim holders as they met to reorganize the Monumental District, coordinate mining activities, and establish new rules and regulations adapted to the needs of petroleum exploration. The minutes summarize the discussion of these meetings held in Bluff, Utah from November 1908 to November 1909. The miners revised previously established by-laws, established regulations, and instituted a mining district government to coordinate activities and enforce regulations. This book also includes a complete list of the miners in the district.

ARRANGEMENT: Minutes were entered chronologically by meeting date.

RESEARCH NOTE: The blank pages left in this hard bound book were later employed (1920) by an unnamed San Juan County farmer to record a personal diary.

RELATED RECORDS: The San Juan County recorder copied the original by-laws for the Monumental Mining District in MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS, series 23400 (Book B, pages 267-268). He recorded additional location notices and other mining documents for the Monumental District in MINING RECORDS, series 84250. MINING RECORDS also includes the revised rules and regulations for the Monumental District (Book G, page 633). In 1908 the San Juan County recorder was keeping separate books for MINING LOCATION NOTICES (PETROLEUM), series 24000. The Monumental Mining District recorder kept early location notices in MINING LOCATION NOTICES, series 24041.

PROCESSING NOTE: Monumental Mining District minutes were microfilmed by San Juan County in February 2001 and processed by Rosemary Cundiff in January 2002.

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