Gold Rush

The gold fields of Kern County gave birth to a number of rough-and-tumble mining towns, some of which still exist today.

While the bulk of the California Gold Rush took place from Mariposa north, the Central California foothills to the south also had a great deal of mining activity.

Mariposa County's courthouse was completed in 1854 and has been in service ever since.

When it was created in 1850, Mariposa covered 30,000 square miles, or about 1/5th of the entire state.

Imagine for a moment a trip from the valley through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. You'll likely picture a windy road that meanders through dry…