Editing Mariposa County, California (section)

===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>