Tweet
I would post a link, but I'm not an "online" subscriber to the Tooele Transcript Bulletin. I get the paper delivered to the house though, and the other day there was an article talking about how the Recorder's Office is working to preserve and digitize the old mining records. Because the article isn't accessible online, I figured I'd type it out for everyone here.
Hopefully, once they get the mining records digitized, they'll make them accessible to everyone online. They'd be kinda interesting to utilize to get information on some of the lesser-known mines in Tooele County.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Recorder's office working to preserve old mining records
Kristine Johnson - correspondent
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission has awarded the Tooele County Recorder's Office a grant to help preserve old mining records.
The NHPRC is a federal agency that supports a wide range of projects to help preserve documents relating to United States history. Congress established the NHPRC grant program in 1934 to encourage preservation and use of historical documents. Each year, Congress awards up to $10 million in grants for the purpose.
The recorder's office put $500 toward the project and NHPRC matched it. The money will go toward protective boxes to store the mining record books in until they are able to be photographed, according to Tooele County Recorder Jerry Houghton. There are nearly 300 books in the recorder's office full of property claims, names, agreements and other vital information on area mines. Some documents date back as far as 1859.
"The way they are being stored now isn't a great for keeping them preserved," Houghton said. "We were already planning on buying the boxes but this grant helps out with the cost."
The boxes will protect against rain, mold, air and pests, and keep the books in their current condition.
"Right now the books are kind of deteriorating because of age, so we'll store them in these boxes until we can afford to get them filmed," Houghton said.
Houghton said filming, or photographing each page of a record book, costs anywhere from $500 to $1,000 per book. The preservation of these mining record books is a small part of a much larger project.
"We have some other books and documents that the LDS Church is going to come out and film for us," he said. "They record the items with a big 50 megapixel camera, and once they do that they'll provide us with the digital images. We can then put them on our public access website."
Houghton said the LDS Church is interested in helping to film the documents because it will get a lot of the genealogical information from the books.
"For them, it's about looking for names and information about different people," he said. "Our purpose is more for tracking who owned what property and how it was deeded out."
Houghton said so far the LDS Church has filmed books in Davis, Cache and Salt Lake Counties. Tooele County is next.
"What's good about this is that it saves us a lot of money," Houghton said. "The church will do approximately 80 books for us for nothing. They'll come here and do it, and we won't charge them and they won't charge us."
The NHPRC only gives grants to projects that help to preserve documents and books that are considered vital to U.S. history.
"A lot of these documents (mining records) have information about supplies used, and people working and owning the mines. Each book has a little bit of history," Houghton said.
Staff writer Rachel Madison contributed to this story.
Recorder's office working to preserve old mining records
Kristine Johnson - correspondent
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission has awarded the Tooele County Recorder's Office a grant to help preserve old mining records.
The NHPRC is a federal agency that supports a wide range of projects to help preserve documents relating to United States history. Congress established the NHPRC grant program in 1934 to encourage preservation and use of historical documents. Each year, Congress awards up to $10 million in grants for the purpose.
The recorder's office put $500 toward the project and NHPRC matched it. The money will go toward protective boxes to store the mining record books in until they are able to be photographed, according to Tooele County Recorder Jerry Houghton. There are nearly 300 books in the recorder's office full of property claims, names, agreements and other vital information on area mines. Some documents date back as far as 1859.
"The way they are being stored now isn't a great for keeping them preserved," Houghton said. "We were already planning on buying the boxes but this grant helps out with the cost."
The boxes will protect against rain, mold, air and pests, and keep the books in their current condition.
"Right now the books are kind of deteriorating because of age, so we'll store them in these boxes until we can afford to get them filmed," Houghton said.
Houghton said filming, or photographing each page of a record book, costs anywhere from $500 to $1,000 per book. The preservation of these mining record books is a small part of a much larger project.
"We have some other books and documents that the LDS Church is going to come out and film for us," he said. "They record the items with a big 50 megapixel camera, and once they do that they'll provide us with the digital images. We can then put them on our public access website."
Houghton said the LDS Church is interested in helping to film the documents because it will get a lot of the genealogical information from the books.
"For them, it's about looking for names and information about different people," he said. "Our purpose is more for tracking who owned what property and how it was deeded out."
Houghton said so far the LDS Church has filmed books in Davis, Cache and Salt Lake Counties. Tooele County is next.
"What's good about this is that it saves us a lot of money," Houghton said. "The church will do approximately 80 books for us for nothing. They'll come here and do it, and we won't charge them and they won't charge us."
The NHPRC only gives grants to projects that help to preserve documents and books that are considered vital to U.S. history.
"A lot of these documents (mining records) have information about supplies used, and people working and owning the mines. Each book has a little bit of history," Houghton said.
Staff writer Rachel Madison contributed to this story.
Comment