California State Mining and Mineral Museum, Mining and mineral museum in Mariposa County, United States.

The California State Mining and Mineral Museum in Mariposa County displays more than 13,000 specimens including minerals, rocks, gems, fossils, and mining-related objects across its gallery spaces. The collection draws from California and locations around the world, offering a broad overview of what miners and geologists have discovered.

The collection started in 1880 with the California State Mining Bureau and was originally housed at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. The museum relocated to its current location in Mariposa in 1986 and has remained there since.

The museum's collection began in 1880 with the California State Mining Bureau, and Henry G. Hanks served as the first State Mineralogist in charge of it. Visitors can see a working scale model of a stamp mill over 100 years old, showing how gold was extracted from quartz, and a replica hard rock mine tunnel. The Fricot Nugget, a 201-troy-ounce crystalline gold piece, is the largest found during the Gold Rush.

The facility is wheelchair accessible and managed by California State Parks, with current hours listed on their official website. Plan to spend several hours exploring the extensive mineral collection at a comfortable pace.

The museum houses the Fricot Nugget, a gold specimen from the Gold Rush era that impresses visitors with its size and shows the wealth that miners sought in California. This single piece demonstrates the rich gold deposits that prospectors discovered in the region.