Resources for Northern California Mining Records
ALPINE COUNTY
IN THE ALPINE COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining district Records: Monitor District, 1863-1895; Mogul District, 1874-1891
Mining Record 1874-date, 6 volumes
Markleeville Library and Archives
AMADOR COUNTY
IN THE AMADOR COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Claims, 1862-date, 9 volumes
Quartz Claims, Certificates of Location, 1897-1906
Preliminary Locations, 1897-1905
Proofs of Labor, 1909-date
Mining District Records: Clinton District, 1870-1897; Jackson District, 1863-1894; Plymouth District, 1863-1893; Robison District, 1877; Volcano District 1858-1893
Amador County Historical Society
Microfilm of U.S. Census, historic Amador County newspapers, books on Amador County history, law library, mining collection including State Mineralogist Reports, microfiche bride and groom indexes
BUTTE COUNTY
IN THE BUTTE COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Claims and Water Claims, 1852-date, 14 volumes
Mining District Records: Oregon Gulch, 1853-1896; Forbestown, 1863-1893; Lovelock, 1865-1897; Magalia, 1878-1888; Cherokee, 1880-1897
24 pgs
Butte County map of Mining Claims
CALAVERAS COUNTY
IN THE CALAVERAS COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Claims, 1852-date, 32 volumes
Mining District Records: Angels, 1855-1874; Carson Creek, 1852-1855; Foremans, 1857-1879; Glencoe, 1850-1874; Stanislaus, 1870-1872
Deeds, mining claims, probate and other official records covering early 1850s-1854 when Amador County was a part of Calaveras County.
Calaveras County History – Mining
Oral History Transcribed of Miner in Calaveras County
COLUSA COUNTY
IN THE COLUSA COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Claims, 1864-date, 5 volumes
Mining District Records: Sulphur Mining District 1863-1872, 1877-1879
DEL NORTE COUNTY
IN THE DEL NORTE COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Deeds, Mining claims, 1860-1878
Mining District Records: Rockland, 1862-1863
Locating Notices and Mining Claims, 1860-date, 10 volumes
Proofs of Labor, 1892-date
EL DORADO COUNTY
IN THE EL DORADO COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining District Records: El Dorado District, 1863-1883, 1890-1905
Locations, 1850-date, 21 volumes
Notices of Non-liability, 1907-date
Proofs of Labor, 1896-date
86 pgs
Clarksville Region Historical Society
El Dorado County Historical Museum
El Dorado County Historical Society
Heritage Association of El Dorado County
GLENN COUNTY
IN THE GLENN COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Claims, 1900-date
Index to Mining Locations
HUMBOLDT COUNTY
IN THE HUNBOLDT COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Claims and Water Rights, 1874-date
LAKE COUNTY
IN THE LAKE COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Claims and Proofs of Labor, 1900-date
Mining District Records: Lake; Lower Lake; Mammoth Ledge
LASSEN COUNTY
IN THE LASSEN COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Claims, 1857-date
Mining District Records, 1883-date
MARIPOSA COUNTY
IN THE MARIPOSA COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Court of Sessions
"Quartz Record, No. 2"
1850-1852, 1 v.
Mining locations notices, mortgages and other instruments relating to mines
Deeds 1- 32 A-Z
Mining Deeds
Mine Names Index
Mine Records
Proof of Labor
Index to Locator of Mines
Notice of Location (mines)
Mining Records:
Claim Locations, 1852-1865
Location Fee Books, 1911 - date
Preliminary Locations of Placer Claims, 1851; 1897-1906
Certificate of Location of Placer Claims, 1897-1899
Quartz Claims, 1897-1911
Index of Locators of Quartz Claims
Index of Quartz Mines
MENDOCINO COUNTY
IN THE MENDOCINO COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Claims, 1865-date
Mining District Records: Ukiah, 1863-1867
MODOC COUNTY
IN THE MODOC COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Claims, Notices, 1876-date
NAPA COUNTY
IN THE NAPA COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Deeds, 1874-date
Mining Locations, 1874-date
NEVADA COUNTY
IN THE NEVADA COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining claims, 1856-date
Names of Claims
Names of Claimants
Mining Locations, 1850-1870
Miner's Record Book, 1856-1865
Proofs of Labor, 1909-date
Hundreds of Books, Periodicals, & Maps
1800's Mining Articles Index From Local Newspapers
1865 Manzanita Hill Mine (PDF)
1867 - 1887 Dower Quartz Mine (PDF)
1867 Manzanita Hill Mine (PDF)
1867 Manzanita Hill Mine Map1867-San Juan-Nevada County (PDF)
1872 Gravel Channel-Grizzly Hill-Columbia-Badger Hills (PDF)
1872 Snow Point Mining Map (PDF)
1875 North Star Mine-Nevada County (PDF)
1880 French Corral Mine (PDF)
1881 Knickerbocker Mine-Nevada County (PDF)
1881 Manzanita Mine (PDF)
1881 Manzanita Mine-Sweetland-Nevada County (PDF)
1882 French Corral Mine (PDF)
1898 Birchville Mining Map (PDF)
1927 Empire Mine (PDF)
1938 Mountaineer Mine-Nevada City-California (PDF)
1938 Mountaineer Mines-Nevada City-Mining Map (PDF)
1940 No. 2 Scotia Mining Records (PDF)
1940 Scotia Mining Records No. 1 (PDF)
Undated Nevada City Mine District (PDF)
Undated Northern Gravel Mine-Nevada County (PDF)
Undated San Juan Ridge-Nevada County (PDF)
Undated-Blue Bank Grabel Mine Map-Woolsey Flat-Nevada County (PDF)
"Gold Mining in Nevada County"
PLACER COUNTY
IN THE PLACER COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Claims, 1850-date
Record of Claims of Auburn Quartz Mining District, 1865-1866
PLUMAS COUNTY
IN THE PLUMAS COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Placer Mining Claims, 1870-date
Quartz Mining claims, 1870-date
Mining and Water Claims, 1870-1877
Map of Abandoned Mines in Plumas County
SACRAMENTO COUNTY
Historical Context and Archaeological Research for Mining Properties
274 pgs
SHASTA COUNTY
IN THE SHASTA COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining claims
Affidavits of Labor and Improvements, 1892-date
Notice Fees, 1896-1898
Mining district Records: Dog Creek, 1875-1897; Flat Creek, 1878-1912; French Gulch, 1863-1897; Pittsburg, 1863-1896; Slate Creek, 1887-1897
SIERRA COUNTY
IN THE SIERRA COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Quartz Mining Claims, 1853-date
Placer Mining Claims, 1853-date
Mining District Records: Eureka Flat, 1853-1866; Poverty Hill, 1853-1860
Recording an Historic Gold MiningTown
78 pgs
Underground Gold Miners Museum
"Sierra County Gold Mining History"
SISKIYOU COUNTY
IN THE SISKIYOU COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Claims, 1852-date, 50 volumes
Claims and Water Rights
Proofs of Labor, 1893-date
Mining District Records: Oro Fino, 1856; South Fork, 1892-1897; Canal Gulch, 1856-1860
TEHAMA COUNTY
IN THE TEHAMA COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Locations, 1901-date
TRINITY COUNTY
IN THE TRINITY COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Labor Affidavits, 1891-date
Mining Claims, 1856-1873
New River Mining District Records, 1884-1897
TUOLUMNE COUNTY
IN THE TUOLUMNE COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Claims, 1851-date
Quartz Claims, 1872-date
Quartz Claims Preliminary Notices of Location, 1897-date
Quartz Claims Certificates of Location, 1898-date
Placer Claims, Preliminary Notices of Location, 1897-date
Proofs of Labor, 1909-date
Mining District Records: Table Mountain, 1855-1890; Philadelphia, 1866-1880
YOLO COUNTY
IN THE YOLO COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining claims, 1861-date
Yolo County Archives
"Mining Location Notices" Gives legal descriptions of property being claimed for mining, names of partners and/or mining company, and tells type of mining to be done.
Digital Images of Book 2, Book 3, Book 4, and Book F
YUBA COUNTY
IN THE YUBA COUNTY RECORDER OFFICE
Mining Deeds, 1862-1866
Mining District Records: Brown's Valley, 1864-1896; Empire Hill & Yuba River, 1854-1864; Missouri, 1855-1884
Water Claims, 1874 – date
"Abandoned Mine Land Assessment of the North Yuba Watershed”
41 pg report
"Life in Challenge Mills, Yuba County, 1875-1915"
6 pgs
Mining Claims from Mississippi Valley Mining District, Bridgeport Township, California
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS ARCHIVES
Empire Mine State Historic Park Collection 1866-1985
Plumas-Eureka Mining Collection 1866 - 1952
Assay records for mines in Grass Valley, Nevada County, California, 1877-1878
Photographs of the Mother Lode mining district and petroglyphs ca. 1870
Sonora Mining Corporation records, 1900-1997
Morning Star Mining Company records, 1882-1954
Silver mining claim deeds : Alpine County, Calif., 1871-1883
Woodstock Copper, Gold & Silver Mining Company ledgers, 1863-1865
Guadalupe Mine records, 1854-1921
Johns Mining Records 1865-1906
Collection contains correspondence
Washington Mining Company records, [1869-1882]
Records of the Star of Hope Gold and Silver Mining Company, 1863-1865
Records of the Star of Hope Gold and Silver Mining Company, 1863-1865
Mariposa Land and Mining Company of California records 1863-1924
Atlanta Gold and Silver Mining Company records, 1875-1897
Excelsior Drift Gold Mining Company records, circa 1890
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, CHICO
MERIAM LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Spring Valley Mining and Irrigation Company Records 1857-1937
Sucker Flat Mine Stereographs Between 1870 and 1871
The stereographs in this collection contain photographs from between 1870 and 1871. They show hydraulic mining performed by the Gold Point Mining Company, Blue Point Gold Mine, Union Claim Mine, S.C.H.M. Company, and Rose Bar Claim at Sucker Flat, Yuba County, California
Mining Collection 1854-1937
North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company Records 1870-1903
CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY HOLDINGS
U.S. Land Office, Sacramento Records 1858-1908
Empire Mill and Mining Company Collection, 1861-1888
Angels Camp Gold Mine materials, 1937-1938
New Idria Mines Collection, 1867-1973
New Almaden Mines Collection, 1845-1944
Meadow Lake Mill and Mining Company Papers 1865-1866
Milton Mining and Water Company Papers 1873-1881
Salem & California Trading & Mining Expedition, February 15, 1849.
The company, composed of 63 men, sailed out of Salem, Massachusetts on March 19, 1849, on the barque La Grange. The ship was later hauled up to Sacramento and converted into a prison. In 1849, 124 mining companies set out from Massachusetts.
Journal of the Hartford Union Mining and Trading Company
Containing the Names, Residence, and Occupation of Each Member, with Incidents of the Voyage. Printed by J. Linville Hall.
Hall's journal ranks as one of the rarest and most interesting of all Gold Rush journals. It is regarded as the first printed journal of a California gold seeker. Hall actually printed the little book en route to California as the Henry Lee sailed around Cape Horn. More than likely, he printed the title page and preface in San Francisco. The Hartford Company numbered 122 members and included three printers and four paper makers. Like so many other companies, this group disbanded shortly after its arrival in San Francisco. Hall and a few companions then headed to the mines.
Articles of Association and By-Laws of the Hartford Union Mining & Trading Co.
Adopted, January 19th, 1849.
The Connecticut company was formed for the purpose of "Mining, Trading, Purchase and Sale of Real Estate, Navigation, Commerce, Building and Manufacturing in California." Twenty-two articles in the bylaws governed the company and detailed rules of conduct, responsibilities, provisions for a member's death, accounting procedures, and duration of stay in California. The company left New York on February 17, 1849 and arrived in San Francisco on September 13, 1849.
The Laws of Chinese Camp Relating to the Mines and Mining Claims
1854.
This volume documents the beginnings of legal authority in Chinese Camp in Tuolumne County. At the first meeting held on September 17, 1850, the miners elected Isaac Caps as mayor and Samuel G. Chamberlain as sheriff and adopted seven rules and regulations governing mining claims.
Articles of Incorporation: Yreka Water Company, Siskiyou County
October 28, 1853.
A gold strike at Yreka Flats in 1851 brought miners by the thousands to the area. It became one of the leading hydraulic mining centers, and supplying water to the miners was a vital business. According to this manuscript the object of the company "shall be to construct a race, or flume, or both, for the purpose of conducting water from the Shasta River, or from any of its branches, through Shasta Valley, in Siskiyou County, by the most eligible [sic] route, to the mines along said route, and to those above and below Yreka City."
GENERAL INFORMATION DIGITAL / ONLINE
"From Commons to Claims: Property Rights in the California Gold Rush"
73 page report
"Order Without Law? Property rights During the California Gold Rush"
40 page report
The Mining Law of 1872: Digging aLittle Deeper
The types of mining claims were either lode claims or placer claims. A lode claim is one which involves minerals found in rock veins such as tin, silver or gold. A placer claim is one with minerals not found in rock veins, but through means such as open pit mining or panning
Mining claims are of four different types – Lode, Placer, Millsite, and Tunnel
California biggest mining = Copper, silver, gold, iron ore,
BLM manages the surface of public land and the Forest Service manages the surface of National Forest System (NFS) land. The BLM is responsible for the subsurface on both public and NFS land.
Mining Claim Records
While "staking a claim" is a well-known term, miners could not legally own a mining claim until 1866. Contact the County Recorder of the area where your ancestor resided to inquire exactly what records they have available. There are six different volumes of records in which mining claims are recorded - notice of location/mining claims, mining claims, water rights, bills of sales and agreements, patents, and grantor/grantee deeds.
Notice of Location of Claims
Bill of Sales of Mining Claims
Consolidation of Mining Claims
Laws of the Mining District
Minutes of the Miners Meeting of the District
Mining Claims
This is the standard recorded volume of Mining Claims, still in use today, and it also includes proof of labor notices. In certain counties you may be confronted with two sets of volumes: one for Placer claims; and the other for Quartz claims.
Water Rights
You know that your ancestor had a mining claim, but you cannot find it in the conventional Mining Claims book, cited above. Then, you need to check Water Rights. In a number of cases, a Water Right & Mining Claim were recorded as one, as Water Rights were being claimed to be used in the mining operations.
Bill of Sales & Agreements
Numerous mining claims were sold, prior to having obtained a patent to the property, and this is where you will find that document.
Patents
If you were lucky enough that your relation did quite well with a mining claim, in due to course of time, then, that person would have done the necessary work to obtain title to the property from the government. Each county has a set of their own Patent books, as well as in Sacramento
Grantor / Grantee (Deeds)
If your miner has successfully made it through the Patent process, then all subsequent transactions are recorded in the Deed Books for title purposes. If you are still having problems in locating a Deed, check the old County Assessment Records, to see if the person actually owned a Mining Claim, and if they did it should appear on the Tax Rolls.
There are other records you may want to examine at a later date, such as Court records, because there was a lot of litigation that occurred over boundary claims and water rights.
Also, Articles of Incorporation are a good source, as the early miners found it necessary to incorporate in order to sell stock to develop their mines.
If you can locate these books, then you have literally struck it rich! But this is also a big “IF.” Some counties have retained these records, others have discarded them, and then again, some have donated them to institutions. If you cannot find them, ask the Recorder where they might be, and also if they have a storage area, which many recorders do have. It could be in storage somewhere collecting dust, and most Recorders may not even be aware of those records.
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