SEC. 14. All claims located prior to the passage of these laws, shall be recorded in the records of this District within ten days after their adoption; and all claims located subsequent shall be recorded within five days from the date of location, in the records of the District. C. A. SEARS, District Recorder. SEC. 15. These laws are to take effect, and be in full force from the date of their passage. AMENDMENT TO THE LAWS OF THE WASHINGTON QUARTZ MINING DISTRICT, WARRENS, IDAHO CO., IDAHO TER. At a meeting of the quartz miners of this district held at Warrens September 5th, 1870 the following amendment was adopted. Sec. 9, Amended so as to read as follows:-Quartz claims located and recorded in accordance with this law shall entitle the person or persons so locating and recording to hold the same for the period of one year from the date of such location and record: Provided, he or they shall cause to be performed twenty dollars' worth of work for each and every claim of two hundred feet on said lead or lode within one year from the date of said location and fifty dollars annually there after. Said work to consist of the following: The stripping of the lead or lode, sinking shafts, excavating of tunnels obtaining machinery and preparing material for working said lead or lode in good faith. And as evidence of such work each and every present claim holder shall, in person or by their agent, within one year from the date of this amendment, appear before the recorder and make affidavit to the effect that the said twenty dollars' worth of work has been performed, specifying first a description of the location of the claim or claims on which the work is performed, the character and value of such work, and the date when the same was performed; which affidavit shall be filed by the county recorder and carefully preserved. Such affidavit or certified copy of the same, under the certificate and seal of the county recorder who has custody of the original affidavit or affidavits, shall, in any court in the Territory be prima facie evidence of the amount and character of labor performed on the claim or claims which are described in such affidavits. And there after they shall appear annually and make affidavit that the requisite fifty dollars worth of work has been performed as aforesaid. And all persons locating claims subsequent to the passage of this amendment shall appear and make affidavits as aforesaid. And the recorder shall receive a fee of one dollar for filling and preserving the affidavits required by this section. And any person or persons failing to comply with the provisions of this section shall forfeit his or their possession or right to any quartz claim upon which such failure is made and the same shall be thereafter subject to relocation. P. F. MORRIS, Chairman. N. B. WILLEY, Secty. QUARTZ LAWS. ARTICLE 1. It shall be the duty of all claim owners, after they shall have performed the requisite amount of work to entitle them to a certificate of representation, to go to the district recorder and have him place on the margin of his book a note, specifying that such a claim or claims has been represented according to law, and the recorder shall have a fee of twenty five cents for each entry there made. ART. 2. All persons discovering quartz veins in this district from and after the adoption of this article, shall not be allowed to locate for them selves and others more than two thousand two hundred feet on any lead or lode and any person or persons who shall again find the same lead out side of the said two thousand two hundred fect located by the discovering party, shall have the right to give the ledgo a new name, and be entitled to all the benefits of a now discovery. A. H. SANDERSON Chairman J. W. POE, Secty. Dated. July. 1868. ALTURAS COUNTY.-WOOD RIVER MINING DISTRICT. [From Yankee Fork Herald October 2, 1879.] At a meeting of miners held at Galena City, Alturas county, Idaho, on Sept. 15th 1879, for the purpose of organizing a new mining district, Hiram Hunter was chosen President, and W. G. Seamands Secretary. On motion, Messrs. Arnold, O'Leary and Swarncoat were appointed a committee to define boundaries of a new mining district and give the same a name. On motion, Jas. E. Fulton, H. Bowman, and W. G Seamands were selected as a committee to draft by-laws to govern all mining locations in the proposed district. After an hour's adjournment, the meeting was called to order and the report of the committee on boundaries was read and adopted. The district shall be known as Wood River District. The following report of the committee on by-laws was read and adopted unanimously : 1st. We, the undersigned miners of Alturas county, I. T., do hereby adopt the mining laws of the United States to govern all mining locations made within this district. 2. The boundaries of Wood River Mining District shall be as follows, to wit: Commencing at the east end of Red-fish Lake and running south to the divide between the Salmon and Boise waters, keeping the same course to Wood River divide; thence east 20 miles; thence north 30 miles; thence west to place of beginning. 3rd. There shall be a mining recorder elected who shall hold his office for the period of oue year, or until his sucerssor shall have been duly elected and qualified; and he shall keep his books and office in Galena city, I. T. 4th. When his successor shall have been duly elected and qualified, then it shall be his duty to turn over to him all books and papers pertaining to his office. 5th. He shall keep the book of record at his office in a safe place and always open for inspection in his presence. 6th. When at any time the district shall be abandoned on account of snow or other reasonable causes, then it shall be his duty to turn all the books and papers pertaining to his office over to the County Recorder of Alturas county and take his receipt for the saine, 7th. It shall be the duty of the Recorder at any time on the written application or petition of any twelve resident miners of the district, to call a miner's meeting for the transaction of any business that may come before it. Sth. The Recorder of this (Wood River) district shall receive the same fees for recording a claim as is allowed, by Territorial law, the County Recorder of Alturas county. 9th. From the 20th day of October to the 20th day of April of each succeeding year, the Recorder of Wood River District shall not absent himself at any one time for more than seven days, or in any manner neglect his official duties; but in case he should neglect his duties as recorder, then it shall be the duty of the miners to call a meeting and elect a new Recorder, who shall take possession of all the books and papers and he shall hold his office until the 15th day of September, the time appointed for the annual election. 10th. Resolved, That a copy of the minutes of this mecting be sent to the "Yankee Fork Herald " for publication. HIRAM HUNTER, Pres't. W. G. SEAMANDS, Sec'y. BOISE COUNTY.—PLACERVILLE MINING DISTRICT. (Special Agent's note.) All of the old laws and records of miners' meetings were lost in the fire of 1874. I have learned how ever from persons residing here that the laws of location were the same as those of Idaho City, (See report on Elk Creek District). also that in 1862 there were two laws passed one keeping the Chinese out of the camp and not allowing them the right of location, another was one denying women the right of locating mining property. In the winter of 1862 there was a law passed to the effect that, the claims of prospectors who went to fight the Indians were not jumpable though they were not represented. MONTANA. DEER LODGE COUNTY.—SUMMIT VALLEY MINING DISTRICT. LAWS. As near as can be ascertained the first business meeting of the miners of Summit Valley was held in the Summer of 1864 at Eden & Carter's store which was situated not far from the site of Butte City. At this time no quartz mining was done in the district and the meeting was composed of the placer miners then working in the Valley. George Marshall was chairman and J. F. Beck was secretary. The following copy is made from the original records which are still in existence: The following laws were adopted: 1st. Resolved, That we organize a mining district to be known as Summit Valley District. 2d. The boundaries of Summit Valley District shall be as follows: Beginning on a point on Silver Bow due south of the Big Butte; then ing north to said butte; thence following the divide to the summit; thence following Silver Bow Creek to starting point. . The officers of this District shall consist of a President and a Recorder. 4th. All gulch claims shall be two hundred feet up and down the gulch and oue hundred feet on each side. 5th. All bar claims shall be two hundred feet square and marked by * on each corner. 6th. Each miner who resides within the district shall be entitled to hold one gulch and one bar claim by location. 7th. There shall be one actual day's work done on each claim every week. th. Where ground is held by companies work done on any portion of the ground shall represent the company's ground. 9th. All ground shall be recorded within thirty days after it is located. 10th. There shall be a recorder elected who shall be entitled to One Dollar for each claim recorded. 11th. All locations shall be recorded in person. 12th. All bills of sale and transfers shall be recorded, for which the recorder shall receive five dollars. 13th. A miners' meeting to be legal shall be called by the President on the application of ten claim-holders of said district the party or parties calling the same shall pay the President in advance the sum of $6. The President shall post notices in three public places three days previous to the meeting. This concludes the first or original laws, the following records being of meetings at which amendments were made. A meeting was held August 20th 1866 at which the following temporary law was adopted : At a meeting of the miners of Summit Valley District held at the Post office in Butte City in said district on the evening of the 11th of April, 1870, Wm. Allison, the President of the district, called the meeting to order, and C. E. Irvine was chosen Secretary. The President stated the object of the meeting to be the election of Recorder. Whereupon the following resolution as a substitute for article 12 was adopted, to wit: Resolved, That from and after this date the fee for recording Bills of Sale for Placer mining in this District shall be two dollars for each Bill of Sale and the Recorder shall not be required to record any bill of sale before the fee is paid. Anson Ford was then elected Recorder by acclamation. Resolved, That article 7 be so construed as to require each of the owners of mining ground to do one day's work on any portion of his ground each week, which shall represent all the ground he owns in the district. The following resolution to construe article 7 to cover an original defect, was also adopted, namely: Resolved, That the by-laws of the District be re-adopted. Dated and signed by the President of the District and Secrecarty of this meeting. Moved and seconded that article 2 be so amended as to read-"from the Big Butte to the head of Silver Bow Creek"-lost. Whereupon the meeting adjourned sine die. WM. ALLISON, President. JULY 30, 1870. At a meeting of the miners of Summit Valley District held at the Post office pursuant to previous notice the following action was had: A motion was made to lay mining claims over until May 1st, 1871. Pursuant to previous notice a miners' meeting was held July 11th, 1871 of which Peter Hume was elected President, and on motion, Resolved that all mining claims located and represented this season be laid over until May 15, 1872. At a legal meeting of the miners of Summit Valley held July 29th, 1872 it was ANSON FORD, Secretary. PETER HUME, President. [The occasional mention of quartz mining in the following regulations will serve to show the inception of this industry at Butte.] At an adjourned special meeting of the miners and citizens of Summit Valley District for the purpose of establishing some regulations in regard to Quartz operations under "Act of Congress, approved May 10th, 1872, entitled An Act to Promote the Development of the Mining Resources of the United States," J. D. Allport was made president and Anson Ford Secretary: On motion it was ordered that the maximum of wages on lodes be six dollars per day. On motion Anson Ford was elected special Recorder, and as Notary Public to administer an oath to quartz operators, verifying the report they may make to him of labor and expense incurred by them on lodes. On motion the fee for making such record and administering the oath was fixed at one dollar. On motion it was ordered that these proceedings be published in the County papers. ANSON FORD, Secretary. J. D. ALLPORT, President. At a regular meeting of the miners of Summit Valley District at Butte City, Aug. 1, 1873, Richard S. Jones was elected President, and Anson Ford was re-elected Recorder. Mining ground was laid over one year from date. At a regular meeting held Aug 11th, 1875, mining ground was laid over one year. At a regular meeting held Sept. 22, 1876 miuing ground was laid over one year. At a regular meeting held Aug. 22, 1877, Placer Mining ground was laid over one year. At a regular meeting held Aug. 31, 1878, mining ground was laid over until the first of September, 1879. At a meeting held in Butte City, Jan. 20th, 1879, S. E. Hirbour was elected Secretary pro tem. W. P. Emery was elected Recorder for two years. [No meetings have since been held to this date, November 1880.] MADISON COUNTY.-BROWNS MINING DISTRICT. MINERS MEETING AT BIVINS GULCH At a miners meeting held Nov 13, 1864 at Neng's saloon in Bagdad Browns district Bivin's gulch Madison County M. T. specially called to take into consideration the most effective means to compel Caleb Perry and J B Smith to pay W P Allen & Co $100 the following preamble and resolution were offered and unanimously adopted. Whereas at a meeting held on the 6th inst Perry and Smith were found to be justly indebted to W P Allen & C in the sum of 810009 and whereas after the miners having put Allen & Co in possession of the claims of Perry and Smith they gave their word of honor if Allen & Co would let them-Perry & Smith-work the claims that Allen & Co should have the first money taken out to the amount of $10000 and guaranteed that the said amount should be paid within 10 days and whereas Perry & Smith have failed to comply with said agreement, and have paid other debts to the amounts of $500oo and upwards and paid after Allen & Co's claim was due thereby forfeiting their word and attempting to defraud their creditors which is characteristic of the firm-Perry & Smith-therefore Resolved that the miners of the distriot put Allen & Co in possession of the claims of Perry and Smith and protect them in holding and working the same with their lives and property if necessary. Perry and Smith not being present motion was made and carried that a committee be appointed to notify Perry and Smith to appear before this committee within 10 minutes. The committee returned with Perry and reported that Smith had left the gulch. On motion of J Hunter the above resolution was read to the great disgust of Caleb. On motion the chair appointed the following committee to place Allen & Co in possession of mining claims Nos. 24 & 25 Browns district Bivins gulch: C. Farnham J Woodward S M Ferris J Hunter S McGee and J Febis. On motion the meeting adjourned Sine die. S. J. PERKINS, Secretary. MINERS MEETING W. HUFFAKER, Chairman. At a Miners Meeting held at the store of E E Thomas in Browns Disct Bivens Gulch Madison Co. M T. on Sunday March 5th J Harper was chosen Chairman and H N Elliott Secretary. On Motion of Mr Huffaker it was moved and carried that the section of the law restricting the number of claims be repealed On motion of Mr Stanley it was Resolved that any company or companies shall have the right to purchase and hold all purchase mining claims on Bivens Gulch in Browns Disct by representing the same according to the laws thereof On motion of Mr. Rumsey it was Resolve that the laws of this Dist requiring two days work for each claim per week be changed so as to read one day. It was moved and carried that we proceed to elect a new Recorder and on motion Mr E E Thomas was elected A committee consisting of Mr Stanley and Mr Huffaker were appointed to wait on the former Recorder (Mr Perkins) and request him to deliver over to Mr Thomas all books and papers belonging to the Disct. On motion is was carried that the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the Chairman and secretary and recorded in the records of this Disct. The meeting then adjourned. MADISON COUNTY.-FAIRWEATHER MINING DISTRICT. LAWS OF FAIRWEATHER DISTRICT ENACTED BY THE MINERS OF SAID DISTRICT IN PUBLIC MEETING SEPTEMBER 16, 1864: At a miners meeting of Fairweather District Madison County Territory of Montana held at the "Miners Retreat" Sept the 16th 1864 in pursuance of notice posted up in three of the most public places in said district James Fergus presiding. On motion E A. Brown was elected Secretary. The report of the committee appointed at a previous meeting to revise the laws of said district was read and on motion accepted and the committee discharged. The laws and regulations so reported were then read and adopted by sections. A motion was then made and carried that a committee of five be appointed to have the new law together with the old laws still in force drawn up together and printed in phamplet form Lewis W Borton B R Martin G. W Weeks J C Otto and James McGuire were appointed as such committee. On motion Jas McGuire was elected president and Lewis W Borton Secretary of said Fairweather district The report of said committee as well as the preamble and laws so enacted are as follows: PREAMBLE. Whereas the laws now in force in Fairweather district Madison County Montana Territory have proved insufficient to protect the rights of the miners of said district and whereas the rights and interests of the miners of the district are of such a nature as not to admit of a resort to the tedious remedy by the ordinary process of law for every violation of the rights. Now therefore we the miners of said district in public meeting assembled in pursuance of legal notice for the purpose of defining our rights and duties and the protection of our several interests do hereby resolve and declare that the rules and provisions following shall be the laws of Fairweather district. ARTICLE 1. SECT. 1. Hereafter the offices of the district shall consist of a President and Secretary who shall hold their offices for a term of six months and until their successors are duly elected and enter upon the discharge of the duties of their office SECT. 2. It shall be the duty of the president to call a meeting of the miners of the district at any time on the written application of five claim holders of the district of which he shall give 3 days notice previous to the day of meeting by 3 written or printed advertisements, put up at 3 of the most public places in the district and he shall preside at such meeting. SECT. 3. It shall be the duty of the secretary to attend all meetings called by the president, to keep a true record of the proceedings thereof and file the same with the County Recorder and he shall preside at all meetings when the President is absent. SECT. 4. After suit commenced in any case wherein a title to a claim is called in question neither party shall be held liable to represent said claim during the pending litigation but the same shall be deemed to be represented in favor of the real owner by operation of law. SECT. 5. Every person shall be entitled to hold by preemption. one creek bar or hill claim and as many of either kind by purchase as he shall represent according to the laws of the district SECT. 6. Any copartnership or company of persons shall be entitled to hold the same number of claims by preemption. And purchase as the same number of persons composing such copartnership or company would be entitled to hold in their individual capacity. SECT. 7. The lessee of a claim-if he shall have agreed to completely work out the same and his lease be recorded-shall be entitled to hold his claim by preemption and his work done on one leased claim shall represent the claim preempted by him. SECT. 8. No person who having precmpted a claim by recording thereon has forfeited the same or who has failed to secure good title thereto or who shall in good faith sell and convey the same shall he thereby be debarred from holding another claim by preemption. SECT. 9. Every claim shall be considered as represented upon which the preemptor or purchaser shall by himself his agent or hired hand perform three full days work in each week and such representation of one claim shall be deemed a good and sufficient representation of each and every claim that such preemptor or purchaser holds in the district. provided that each and all of said claims have been duly recorded, and if any person shall represent a claim by working thereon without having his bill of sale or conveyance thereof duly recorded then in that case he shall not be entitled to hold any other claim in this district either by preemption or purchase but shall be confined and limited to the claim upon which he so works until it be recorded. SECT. 10. Copartners or any company or companies working one claim in the district shall be considered as representing thereby all the claims held by them in the district SECT. 11. Any claim to which a drained ditch is commenced or being dug if the holder of the same shall compose one of the ditch company or shall put and continue hands at work in the same shall be considered as duly represented until the drained ditch be completed to such claim. SECT. 12. The absence of any person from the district shall not impair or invalidate his rights therein, provided his interests are represented by his partner or agent or men in their employ. SECT. 13. The rights of a sick miner shall be respected during his illness. and the certificate of a physiciau shall be sufficient ovidence of such illness SECT. 14. Any miner who shall have expended six hundred dollars on his claim and who for want of money to finish opening the same is unnable to represent according to law shall have the privilege of working on any other claim in the district in order to raiso money to enable him fully to open his own claim provided he shall put up notices on his own claim stating where he is at work and his rights shall be respected during the time he is so at work for others. SECT. 15. It shall and may be lawful for any person or company to dig a drain ditch through the claim or claims of any person or company for the purpose of drainage and any person or company making such ditch shall have a lien upon any and all of the claims throughly drained thereby, for a just and equal proportion of the costs thereof. but no lien shall be enforced until the holder of the claim affected thereby shall avail himself of the benefit of the ditch. SECT. 16. The water in any creek or gulch shall belong exclusively to the miners of the creek or gulch. SECT. 17. Each gulch claim shall be entitled to ono sluice head of water of not less than 20 inches to be measured subject to a pressure of 6 inches and such an additional quantity as may be necessary for mining purposes if such additional quantity be not used to the injury of the rights of others SECT. 18. The interests of the holder or holders of any creek or gulch claim is hereby declared to be a chattel interest consisting of the right to the posession of the land and the water thereupon iuseparable and indivisible except by the consent of the party or parties in interest made in due form of law and then only to such an extent as shall not impair or infringe the right of others. SECT. 19. No person or persons or company shall have the right by preemption or otherwise to claim and hold an exclusive right or privelege in or to any portion of the water in any creek or gulch in the District except as herein provided and any ditch pipe channel flume or other means of conveyance heretofore made or which may hereafter be made by which the water in any creek or gulch in the District shall be diverted from its original channel aud carried beyond any creek or gulch claim without leaving in the creek or gulch the quantity of water beloning to each claim is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and may be abated immediately in such a way and manner as shall be in accordance with the laws of this Territory and the common law of the land SECT. 20. All dams flumes embankments or other obstructions which shall cause tailings to accumulate or a diversion of the water to the damage of miners above and below, the same shall be deemed public nuisances and may be abated in the manner herinbefore provided for other cases and all persons injured thereby shall be entitled to recover damages of the person or persons who has created or may create authorize or permit upon his or their own claim all or any of said nuisances. SECT. 21. No miner shall so run his tailings or shovel or pile up the same as to damage any claim either above or below him. SECT. 22. Any miner of a creek or gulch claim who shall suffer injury by the escape of water from any side ditch shall be entitled to recover damages therefor by the ordinary process of law. SECT. 23. It shall not be lawful for any person to place or run tailings into a side ditch made for the protection of a pit or a drain ditch SECT. 24. Every claim not duly represented according to the laws of the district until the day upon which the claims in this district may at any time hereafter be laid by shall be forfeited and it shall be lawful for another person to record and preempt such forfeited claim at any time after the day on which the claims in the district shall be laid by and before the first day of May next following SECT. 25. Hereafter all claims shall be deemed to be laid by during the interval between the last day of October and the first day May of each year SECT. 26. At no time hereafter shall any miner of a bar claim ground sluice tailings into any gulch creek or drain ditch but sneh miner shall securely crib the tailings on his own claim. SECT. 27. All laws rules and regulations hereintofore in force in this district not conflicting with the laws rules and regulations herein enacted are hereby continued in force and all laws rules and regulations heretofore in force conflicting in the least in whole or in part with any of the laws rules and regulations herein adopted or any portion thereof are hereby repealed. SECT. 28. The laws shall take effect and be in force from and after the 16th day of September. A D 1864 LEWIS W. BORTEN, Secretary. |