Mariposa Museum & History Center

We spent hours here viewing the artifacts and ephemera, reading the interpretive placards, and pondering the region's history -- a worthwhile investment of our time.

Traveling to Yosemite, I learned about the history of the Mariposa region, which is said to have been named by a Spanish priest under the guidance of explorer Gabriel Moraga, who was the captain of a 25-member expedition in 1806. When he and his expedition came to a creek with thousands of yellow butterflies, they named the area "Mariposa", which means butterflies in Spanish. Of course, it was not the story of the gold miners.