Proximity to Yosemite National Park causes many people to pass through Mariposa, and few take the trouble to stop and explore the intriguing gold-rush paraphernalia assembled in the town’s Mariposa Museum and History Centre (http://mariposamuseum.com), corner of 12th and Jessie Streets. Interestingly, while the grand 1854 Mariposa County Courthouse, 5808 Bullion Street, is California’s longest continuously used place of justice, the neighbouring Old Mariposa Jail continued to house felons until 1960.

Beside the County Fairgrounds on Mariposa’s southern edge, the quality of the area’s mineral riches is shown in no uncertain terms by the California State Mining and Mineral Museum (http://camineralmuseum.org) which displays fist-sized diamonds and gold nuggets among 200,000 precious pieces unearthed in the state.