Near Mariposa in central California, this state-run museum preserves the state’s mineral resources and mining heritage, connecting California geology to the Gold Rush and later mining history. Its collection began in 1880 under the California State Mining Bureau and was long housed in San Francisco’s Ferry Building before moving to the Mariposa fairgrounds in 1986. The holdings include more than 13,000 minerals, rocks, gems, fossils, and artifacts, notably the Fricot Nugget, said to be the largest crystalline gold specimen found during the Gold Rush. Exhibits also interpret historic mining technology and conditions, making the museum a specialized repository of California’s mining past.

Mariposa, California · USA