California State Mining and Mineral Museum
About California State Mining and Mineral Museum
The California State Mining and Mineral Museum exhibits and interprets the state's mineral resources and mining heritage. It is part of the California state park system, and is located near Mariposa, a town in central California, on the premises of the Mariposa County fairgrounds.
The museum houses a collection that was created in 1880, with the establishment of the California State Mining Bureau. Henry G. Hanks was the first California State Mineralogist and was tasked with managing the collection. The collection was housed in the Ferry Building in San Francisco until 1983. The collection was moved at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds in 1986. Responsibility for it was transferred from the California Department of Conservation to the California Department of Parks & Recreation in 1999. It is the only California State Park without associated land. The international collection holds over 13,000 minerals, rocks, gems, fossils, and historic artifacts.
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- Founded
- 1999
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Nearby museums
Make a day of it. 4 more museums are within 17 miles of California State Mining and Mineral Museum; the closest, California State Mining & Mineral Museum, is about 2.8 miles away.
