Mariposa County, California

Mariposa County is situated between Tuolumne and Fresno. This county is celebrated as containing the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa grove of big trees. Its area is 1,543 square miles, and its population is estimated at 6,500; the census of 1880 gives 4,339. The county seat, Mariposa, lies 45 miles from the Southern Pacific Railroad, and is reached by stages. Other towns are Hornitos, Coulterville and Cathay. The surface of the eastern half is extremely rugged and covered by heavy forests of redwood and pine. The western half consists of foothills and plains, which are immensely productive when irrigated. Mining is still the chief industry, many valuable quartz mines being worked. Lumbering, agriculture and stock-raising are profitable, and fruit growing is receiving attention. The assessed valuation for 1889 was $1,900,000.

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Source: California State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1890, Volume II, R. L. Polk & Company, 1890.