Summary

This review focuses on Professional Landmen and the work they do for mining companies. Claim staking and land titles are also discussed.

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INTRODUCTION

In the Royal Navy in the middle of the 18th century, the term Landman referred to a seaman with less than a year's experience at sea. After a year, the landman was generally considered an Ordinary Seaman. Later, the term evolved into a more formal rating for a seaman. In the US and Canada the term Landman is used to refer to individuals who do negotiations and title research work for oil and mining companies.

In this piece I focus on Landmen and their work for mining companies - even though I suspect most Landmen work for oil companies.

Professional Landman

I know only one Landman whom I like, admire, and respect. Sylvia Good provides this description of what she does.

I am a Mineral Landman with 33 years experience. I am a mineral title specialist. I research title to the minerals in fee lands, patented mining claims, and unpatented mining claims--whatever lands the geologist is interested in; untangle complicated title problems, whether multiple overlapping unpatented mining claims or from a hundred years of recorded documents; handle title curative, such as preparing deeds, affidavits, releases of leases, etc., or arranging for probates; lay out claim-staking projects, manage the claim-staking crew, prepare the notices of location, record and file with the BLM; and handle the annual BLM filings for a number of mining companies. I have worked for mining companies or law firms, and have been an independent consultant, as I am now. Some assignments take a day; some take nine months; some take years (I once spent 3 years in Cripple Creek, Colorado). I interface with geologists, government officials, mining engineers, and landowners. I have taken my turn as weekend supervisor of an active gold- mining operation, have done quite a bit of public speaking and have written or been co-author of several papers.