Mariposa Museum - The End of the Mother Lode

Stop on Goldrush!, a free self-guided tour.

You've reached the southern end of the Mother Lode and the last stop on the tour. The Mariposa Museum and History Center tells the story of this corner of the foothills, from long before the Gold Rush through the mining days that followed.

The museum grew out of the Mariposa County Historical Society, which first met in 1957. Its collection started out in the old Masonic Lodge nearby, then moved to this site in 1972 on land donated by Judge Thomas and Katherine Coakley.

Inside, start with the Miwok exhibit, which honors the people who lived here for generations before the miners arrived. Then step into a miner's cabin, a Mother Lode saloon and a one-room schoolhouse, and see furnishings that belonged to explorer John C. Fremont and his wife, Jessie, who once owned a vast estate in this county.

Outside, don't miss the five-stamp mill from the Golden Key Mine, which crushed gold ore until 1953. The museum says it is the only operating five-stamp mill in California.

Nearby: Restrooms at the museum. Restaurants, cafes and gas along Highway 140 and Jessie Street in downtown Mariposa, a short walk away.