Category Archives: Mining Law

Vigilante justice in the mines

Posted on October 6, 2011 by John Putnam

One of the most significant occurrences of the early California gold rush, which sheds light on the character of the old miners and their efforts to administer justice and secure order as ill advised as this could sometimes be, were … Continue reading →

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River pollution and mining law

Posted on October 5, 2011 by John Putnam

In both the northern and southern mines farms were dug up and large tracts of arable land washed into sluice boxes in the quest for gold. Whole towns were moved so the locations where they had been built could be … Continue reading →

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Agriculture versus the mining laws

Posted on October 4, 2011 by John Putnam

Conflicts inevitably developed between differing interests in the mining areas, and the rights claimed by the early miners to occupy and work ground that was currently in the possession of others is amply illustrated by a situation that arose near … Continue reading →

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The foreign miner laws

Posted on October 3, 2011 by John Putnam

Prejudices of the early miners against foreigners soon translated into rules and regulations in some districts. And there were many men of bad character who came to California, particularly from Australia and Mexico. The Australians, known as Sidney Ducks, were … Continue reading →

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Mining law, the Northern mines

Posted on October 2, 2011 by John Putnam

The Sweetland district in Nevada County was organized in 1850 and allowed thirty square feet per claim. Two years later claims of eighty by one hundred and eighty feet were the rule. Then in 1853, at a large miner’s meeting, … Continue reading →

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Mining law in the Southern mines

Posted on September 29, 2011 by John Putnam

Jackass Gulch, Soldier’s Gulch and other nearby sites in Tuolumne County were some of the first places with organized mining codes. In 1848 a man was limited to a ten square foot claim but over time this grew to one … Continue reading →

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Soldiers and mining law

Posted on September 28, 2011 by John Putnam

Soon after the end of the Mexican War in 1848 soldiers, many from Stevenson’s regiment of New York volunteers, were discharged and headed straight for the gold country. Before they went, however, they organized into small companies of from three … Continue reading →

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The evolution of mining law

Posted on September 27, 2011 by John Putnam

Any law or custom concerning the rules of mining could only be adopted with a consensus of the community. At first this might just be an agreement among a particular company or camp whose rules might differ from all its … Continue reading →

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Mining law

Posted on September 26, 2011 by John Putnam

Just after the discovery of gold at the sawmill in Coloma, both John Sutter and James Marshall attempted to control the mining territory by demanding rent from the men who wished to mine there, and for a short while they … Continue reading →

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