The original Sept 9 1904 Notice of location for the Happy Strike lode provides a 1500’ x 600’ full sized claim, running 300’ northerly and 1200’ southerly from the discovery shaft. The description states the claim is situated about….. running parallel with its site line north east corner to south east corner with end line of IONA mining claim and end lining on Puritan mining claim side line parallel from north east corner to north west corner.
According the M.S. 2424, the IONA was unsurveyed ground. According to the IONA notice of location, the IONA was to lie northwest from the Hale cabin on North Willow Creek, and being a east/west situated 1500’ x 600’ claim. Magically, M.S. 2424 is depicting a south side line of the unsurveyed IONA at a distance of only 1034’ west to east, before a corner is indicated running northeasterly an unknown distance before conflict with the Puritan No. 2 claim. The west end line running north/south is only depicted at a distance of 460 feet, and no conflict of the true end line of the IONA is mentioned for Happy Strike or Puritan lodes in the 2424 field notes.
A conflict is not mentioned because it is not real, there is no conflict. The location notices are also fictitious, only recorded to serve the plan of claim configuration that ultimately resulted. There is no amendment made for the Happy Strike lode location. The filed notes of 2424 are silent as to conflict between Happy Strike and Penos Alto No. 1 lodes, although the Plat clearly shows a major conflict.
