Mining Records

Dates: 1850-1973

Description:

The Mining Records include some of the earliest records in the Placer County Archive including ones that predate the establishment of the County in 1851. These records are part of the Placer County Clerk-Recorder Collection maintained by the Archive and the digital files may be found within this collection.

These records include information regarding the recording of ownership and location of mining claims in the County. The Placer County Mining Records Collection includes bound volumes and loose photocopied pages. The records contain the name of the claim, the name of the locator/owner (s) of the claim, the physical location of the claim, the date the claim was recorded, the name of the Attester/Recorder and occasionally a diagram of the location of the claim and occasionally the cost of a transaction.  There are a few instances of Mining Laws also being recorded in the “Record of Mining Claims” books.

Proof of Labor volumes relate to records providing notice of work on a mining claim. Entrees include the name, residence of the claimant, along with the name and location of the mine, the assessment year, and the date of filing.

For several of the most historic Record of Mining Claims books, searchable PDF indices have been created and are linked below when available.

Please note, when searching through these Record of Mining Claims books in the “Placer County Clerk-Recorder Collection” the image number and the page number do not correlate.  This is because these early historic records frequently included unnumbered, double numbered, or blank pages.  The books have been imaged in order but it may take some time and patience to find the page number you are seeking.

Here is a shortcut to the Mining Records Collection.

Scope and Content: Record of Mining Claims (1850-1896)

Index to Record of Mining Claims (1850-1856)

• • Index for Record of Mining Claims Books A and B

Record of Mining Claims (1850-1896)

• • Record of Mining Claims (1850-1856) – SEARCHABLE INDEX
  • Record of Mining Claims Book C (1856-1866) – SEARCHABLE INDEX
  • Auburn District Mining Claims Book A (1850-1856) – SEARCHABLE INDEX
  • Record of Mining Claims, Stuart’s Flat District (1859-1867) – SEARCHABLE INDEX
  • Lone Star District Mining Claims (1862-1875) – SEARCHABLE INDEX
  • Garden Bar District Mining Claims (1863-1866) – SEARCHABLE INDEX
  • Colfax Mining District Book AA (1863-1896). Includes index in the front of volume.

Scope and Content: Notice of Location Mining Records (1866-1973)

• Index to Notice of Location Mining Records Books 1-6
• Notice of Location Mining Records Books D-Z and 1-8 (SEARCHABLE INDEX for Book D)
• Notice of Location Files

Scope and Content: Proof of Labor (1859-1973)

• Indices to Proof of Labor Books 1-5
• Proof of Labor Books A-P, R-Z, and 1-4
• Index to Mining Affidavits Book 1