DESCRIPTION OF MINING CLAIM
RECORDS-
(filed with the Recorders Office)
transcribed from County Archives of California, COY, 1919
Of a somewhat different nature and yet closely related to real estate titles are the mining and water claims, for in them the person acquiring title secures only the right to use the land for a certain specified purpose. The mining records are by far the more numerous and on account of the unique position of mining in early California history also the more interesting historically. The record of mining claims usually contains a notice setting forth the name of the claim and and that of the locator with date, size and description. In some of the leading mining counties these are entered in separate books divided as to quartz claims, placer claims, etc. with further titles for other kinds of mining records. In the counties less given to mining the records are more simple if they are found at all.
Special attention should be given to the mining district records. These are of great historical value since they show not only the extent of territory covered in the early days of mining operations but also the ideas these rugged pioneers had of law and government, for each of these mining districts was to a large extent a government by itself. The miners met, outlined the boundaries of the district, and determined the manner in which claims should be acquired and held. Most of these district records are kept only by a district recorder and in probably a large majority of cases the records have been lost. In some cases the mining district records, together with filings for claims in such districts, were handled by the county recorder as part of the county records. In these cases they were recorded in books devoted entirely to mining claim or are to be found in Deeds, Miscellaneous Records, or similar record books. By a law approved March 27, 1897, all mining district recorders and custodians of records of the several mining district in the state were required to transmit to the county recorder all records of the district , the recorder being considered the legal custodian of such records. As a result of this act many district record books have been deposited with the county recorders, but it is very probable that many of these records are still outside of the county archives.
Carolyn Feroben
March 9, 2002
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