Little Cottonwood Mining Claims

24" x 36" print

Miners stake and file claims to preserve the right to mine in an area where they have found minerals of economic importance. Much like a patent, a mine claim prevents others from freeloading off of the discoveries of others. Illegally mining on someone else’s claim is referred to as “claim jumping.”

The Mining Act of 1872 defines the process for staking and maintaining a claim on federal land. This law still governs how mining claims work today. There are 4 steps:
1. Prove. Show that you found something of value in this location.
2. File. Fill out some paperwork and pay a nominal fee of a few dollars
3. Stake. Place signage around your claim
4. Improve. You must invest in your property regularly for the claims to remain valid.

The act also codified “extralateral rights,” which means that if you found a vein, you could follow it wherever it went, even if it went under someone else’s claim. Ownership disputes arise when two
veins believed to be unrelated are later found to meet somewhere far underground. In the 1800s, gunfight often ensued. Today, extralateral rights provide job security for many lawyers.

Reproduction.
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