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Show Uranium prospecting has gone modern in San Juan county, where heavy claim staking has continued -through the winter months despite unusually un-usually heavv snow cover. In the frenzy to tie up property, pro-perty, prospecting companies and individual "hunters" have taken to snow shoes and snowmobiles; the County Recorder's Re-corder's offices, manned by Arvilla Warren, have buzzed with activity throughout January Jan-uary and February months that would normally be quiet. Already this year Mrs. Warren War-ren has filed 1,373 instruments; instru-ments; 1;C01 of these are claim locations, most of the others mining leases. If the unclaimed territory holds out, it seems likely 1968 will be a bigger -claim staking year than 1967, when Mrs. War- ren filed 19,521 claims. Sooner or later virgin territory ter-ritory must run out though, and it apnears much less likely there will ever be a repeat of the peak boom year durng the 1930's uranium hunt. In 1954 the San Juan County Recorder recorded 80.016 location notices. - That 'is not to say the Recorder's Re-corder's offices will be .less busy. The purpose of staking a claim is to sell it, or to mine it. There will be many legal transactions as the properties pro-perties change hands, particularly partic-ularly in view of the present trend of major companies to establish large blocks as they diversify into uranium, or expand past operations. Each transaction must be recorded in the County Recorder's offices. of-fices. Grand County Recorder, Esther Somerville, has had a less active 'winter as far as claim filings are concerned. There were only 11 filed in January; 193 to date in February. Feb-ruary. She has not been idle, however. how-ever. Mining property is beginning be-ginning to change hands in Grand county, and several small transactions involving lease or sale of 60 to 100 claim blocks have been recorded. re-corded. The first major uranium ur-anium transaction since the resurgence of the industry began be-gan was the sale of the Seven-Mile properties two weeks ago, which was rcorded in the Grand County Recorder's offices in Moab. The advent of spring is anticipated an-ticipated vith an air of excitement ex-citement by those who have been eyeing the uranium industry in-dustry buildup. Moab has long been termed a "Town on a Powder Keg," and its back on its perch this year. 1968 is surely the year the uranium industry will explode ex-plode into production, is the general opinion in both San Juan and Grand counties. |
