Series 83186

SAN JUAN COUNTY (UTAH). COUNTY RECORDER [904]

MINING PROOF OF LABOR INDEX, 1957-1994.
3 microfilm reels

A separate agency history is available.

DESCRIPTION: The San Juan county recorder has created a separate index to affidavits showing proof of labor for mining claims. Federal mining law provides private parties the right to mine valuable mineral deposits on public land, but in order to patent a claim, the law requires the claimant to do development work. Utah law requires locators to do at least $50 worth of work within 90 days after posting the location notice, and at least $100 worth of labor annually as required by federal law. Utah law also requires an affidavit to be filed in the office of the county recorder that upon completion of such work. Such affidavits show the name of the claim and where situated, the number of days' work done and the character and value of improvements, the dates labor was performed and for whose benefit, and a statement of the actual amount paid for the labor or improvements (Utah Code Annotated, 1953, 40-1-6). The San Juan County recorder's index to proof of labor affidavits provides the following information: the name of the claim, the names of locators, the names of persons whose signatures appear on the affidavit, the date filed, and the book and page number where recorded.

ARRANGEMENT: Entries in the proof of labor index are alphabetically grouped under the name of the mining claim and thereunder are listed chronologically by date filed.

RESEARCH NOTE: While the index provides summary information about labor on various mining claims, the actual affidavits are in the custody of the San Juan County recorder.

RELATED RECORDS: The San Juan County recorder filed the affidavits referenced in this index in OFFICIAL RECORDS, series 6682. Proof of labor affidavits filed before 1957 are referenced in MINING RECORDS INDEX (LOCATORS), series 23584series 233584, and MINING RECORDS INDEX (LOCATIONS), series 23583, which also reference notices of location, deeds and other mining records.

PROCESSING NOTE: San Juan County proof of labor index books 1-3 were microfilmed by Utah State Archives in March and June 1990. San Juan County microfilmed Book 4 in March 1995. This series was 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.

CONTAINER LIST

Reel	Description
1	Jul 1957-Dec 1968 (Book 1)
1	Jan 1969-Aug 1976 (Book 2)
2	Aug 1976-Dec 1982 (Book 3)
3	Jan 1983-Nov 1994 (Book 4)