Editing Mariposa County, California (section)

==History==
Mariposa County was one of the original 27 counties of California, created at the time of [[Compromise of 1850|statehood]] in 1850. While it began as the state's largest county, territory that was once part of Mariposa was ceded over time to form all or part of twelve other counties, including all of [[Merced County, California|Merced]], [[Madera County, California|Madera]], [[Fresno County, California|Fresno]], [[Tulare County, California|Tulare]], [[Kings County, California|Kings]], and [[Kern County, California|Kern]]; and parts of [[San Benito County, California|San Benito]], [[Mono County, California|Mono]], [[Inyo County, California|Inyo]], [[San Bernardino County, California|San Bernardino]], and [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles]]. Thus, Mariposa County is known as the "Mother of Counties".<ref>{{cite web | title= Mariposa: Mother Of Counties | url= http://mariposacourt.org/HistoryMother.htm | publisher= Superior Court of California, County of Mariposa | access-date= May 17, 2009 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090611011105/http://mariposacourt.org/HistoryMother.htm | archive-date= June 11, 2009 | url-status= dead }}</ref>

Mariposa County's original seat was a now-nonexistent hamlet known as [[Agua Fria, California|Agua Fria]] (Spanish for "cold water"), about 3 miles directly west of Mariposa proper on Agua Fria Road, which runs from Highway 140 to the south, to the community of Mt. Bullion to the northwest. Charles Fremont moved the county seat to [[Mariposa, California|Mariposa]] in 1854, resulting in the construction of the [[Mariposa County Courthouse]], whose grounds occupies an entire block. The historic structure is fronted by Bullion Street; Jones Street is to the rear, with 9th and 10th Streets on either side. The courthouse's likeness is on the Mariposa County Seal. <!-- Seems unimportant. -->

The county took its name from [[Mariposa Creek]], which was so named by [[Spain|Spanish]] explorers in 1806, when they discovered a great cluster of [[butterfly|butterflies]] (''"mariposas"'' in Spanish and Portuguese) in the [[foothills]] of the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra]]. Each year, the first weekend in May, residents mark the annual arrival of migrating [[monarch butterflies]] with a "Butterfly Days" festival and parade.

===Gold Rush===
[[File:Gold-mm08a.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.65|Specimen gold from the Mockingbird mine]]
Mariposa County is located at the southern end of California's [[Mother Lode]] region. During the [[California Gold Rush]], great quantities of the prized [[mineral]] were found and extracted, first in local [[placer mining|stream-beds]] and later in [[Underground mining (hard rock)|hard rock mines]]. One of the most notable beneficiaries of this wealth was the famed [[explorer]] and 1856  [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] [[presidential candidate]], [[John Charles Frémont]], for whom the local hospital and Charles Street (more commonly known as "Highway 140") are named. Jessie Street, in the town of Mariposa, is named for Fremont's wife, [[Jessie Benton Frémont]], who came to Mariposa with her husband on many extended visits although they never took up permanent residence within the county.

Many aspects of the area's mining history are depicted in [[Collection (museum)|exhibits]] at two local [[museum]]s: the [http://www.mariposamuseum.com/ Mariposa History Museum], located in the town of Mariposa; and the [[California Mining and Mineral Museum]], located at the Mariposa Fairgrounds (2 miles southeast of Mariposa on Highway 49).

Two small gold mines in Mariposa County, the Mockingbird mine and the Colorado Quartz mine, intermittently produce world-class (and very expensive) specimens of crystalline gold for [[mineral collector]]s. "Specimens from these occurrences commonly have bright luster and rich color, with well-developed crystals in unusual and attractive arrangements."<ref>[http://www.rocksandminerals.org/Back%20Issues/2009/September-October%202009/Colorado-Quartz-abstract.html The Colorado Quartz Gold Mine], ''Rocks and Minerals'', Sept-Oct 2009.</ref>  The best-known example is "The Dragon", now on display at the [[Houston Museum of Natural Science]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mindat.org/photo-153026.html|title=Gold|website=mindat.org}}</ref>