Mariposa County, CA
History and Genealogy

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HISTORY

Mariposa County was one of the original counties of California, created at the time of statehood in 1850. While it began as the state's largest county, over time territory that was once part of Mariposa was ceded to twelve other counties: Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Merced, Mono, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, and Tulare. Thus, Mariposa County is known as the "Mother of Counties".

The county took its name from Mariposa Creek, which was so named by Spanish explorers in 1806, when they discovered great clusters of butterflies ("mariposas" in Spanish) in the foothills of the Sierras. For many years, residents marked the annual arrival (in May) of migrating Monarch butterflies with a "Butterfly Days" parade.

(www.en.wikipedia.org)

 

Cities & Towns:

Bear Valley
Bootjack
Buck Meadows
Cathey's Valley
Coulterville
Don Pedro
El Portal
Foresta
Hornitos
Greeley Hill
Jerseydale
Lush Meadows
Mariposa
Midpines
Yosemite Valley
Wawona

Vital Records Resources

County Courthouse
5100 Bullion Street
Mariposa, CA 95338-0000
Phone: (209) 966-3222
Fax: (209) 966-5147

County Seat: Mariposa
Year Organized: 1850
Square Miles: 1,451

Cemetery Locations:

Catheys Valley Cemetery
Granite Spring Cemetery
Pate Cemetery
Saint Joseph Cemetery
Santa Cruz Cemetery
White Rock Cemetery

Archives Locations

National Archives - San Francisco
1000 Commodore Drive
San Bruno, CA 94066-2350

Library Locations

Bassett Memorial Library In Wawona
El Portal Library
Mariposa Library
Red Cloud Library
Yosemite Library

 

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Neighboring counties

Madera County, California
Merced County, California
Tuolumne County, California

Back to the California State Page
 

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with full rights reserved for original submitters.