California Mining and Mineral Museum
Encyclopedia
The California State Mining and Mineral Museum is a museum
in the state park
system of California
, USA, interpreting the state's mineral
resources and mining
heritage. It is located in Mariposa
on the Mariposa County
fairground
s.
The big news of 1848 was the discovery of gold in California
. This event created international interest and soon a mass immigration
of fortune seekers and pioneers trekked their way to pan
the streams for gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills
. More than a century later, gold and legends of Old West mining
continue to fascinate historians.
Although this is one of California's newest state park
s, the museum
houses a collection that was started in 1865 in San Francisco
— the official California State Mineral Collection, with over 13,000 mineral
s, rocks
, gem
s, fossil
s, and historic artifacts
. Recently returned (in 2000) is the popular crystalline gold "Fricot Nugget
", weighing 201 troy ounces (6.25 kg) — the largest one found during the Gold Rush.
Illustrative of days long-gone is a working scale model
of a stamp mill
, demonstrating the process of extracting gold
from quartz
rock. In spring of 2001, the mining tunnel connected to the museum was reopened. The tunnel is a trip back through time, focusing on the lives of miners working in California's hard rock mines during the later part of the Gold Rush. It allows visitors to experience first-hand what it felt like to spend the day working inside a dark, cool and damp underground chamber, excavate
d from solid rock and shored up with timbers.
A visit to the California State Mining and Mineral Museum offers the visitor the chance to explore the wealth of the Mother Lode
, view minerals and gems from around the world, and to experience a little bit of California's mining history adventures. Throughout the year special rotating displays from private collections and other institutions will be exhibited, making return trips to this museum well worth your time.
Educators can call the museum for information on curriculum based educational programs for Grades 1 to 12 and college level.
administration as part of a deficit reduction program.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
in the state park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
system of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA, interpreting the state's mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
resources and mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
heritage. It is located in Mariposa
Mariposa, California
Mariposa is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Mariposa County, California, United States. The population was 2,173 at the 2010 census, up from 1,373 at the 2000 census. Its name is Spanish for "butterfly", after the flocks of Monarchs seen overwintering there by early...
on the Mariposa County
Mariposa County, California
Mariposa County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It lies north of Fresno, east of Merced, and southeast of Stockton. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,251 up from 17,130 at the 2000 census...
fairground
Funfair
A funfair or simply "fair" is a small to medium sized travelling show primarily composed of stalls and other amusements. Larger fairs such as the permanent fairs of cities and seaside resorts might be called a fairground, although technically this should refer to the land where a fair is...
s.
The big news of 1848 was the discovery of gold in California
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. This event created international interest and soon a mass immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
of fortune seekers and pioneers trekked their way to pan
Gold panning
Gold panning, or simply panning, is a form of placer mining that extracts gold from a placer deposit using a pan. The process is one of the simplest ways to extract gold, and is popular with geology enthusiasts because of its cheap cost and the relatively simple and easy process involved. It is the...
the streams for gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills
Foothills
Foothills are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills to the adjacent topographically high mountains.-Examples:...
. More than a century later, gold and legends of Old West mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
continue to fascinate historians.
Although this is one of California's newest state park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
s, the museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
houses a collection that was started in 1865 in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
— the official California State Mineral Collection, with over 13,000 mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s, rocks
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
, gem
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
s, fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s, and historic artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
. Recently returned (in 2000) is the popular crystalline gold "Fricot Nugget
Nugget
Nugget may refer to:* Gold nugget, a piece of gold produced through mining and extraction* Chicken nugget, a lump of breaded or battered chicken* Mosin Nagant, a family of bolt action military rifles* North Bay Nugget, a daily newspaper...
", weighing 201 troy ounces (6.25 kg) — the largest one found during the Gold Rush.
Illustrative of days long-gone is a working scale model
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
of a stamp mill
Stamp mill
A stamp mill is a type of mill machine that crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation....
, demonstrating the process of extracting gold
Gold extraction
Gold extraction or recovery from its ores may require a combination of comminution, mineral processing, hydrometallurgical, and pyrometallurgical processes to be performed on the ore....
from quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
rock. In spring of 2001, the mining tunnel connected to the museum was reopened. The tunnel is a trip back through time, focusing on the lives of miners working in California's hard rock mines during the later part of the Gold Rush. It allows visitors to experience first-hand what it felt like to spend the day working inside a dark, cool and damp underground chamber, excavate
Excavate
The excavates are a major kingdom of unicellular eukaryotes, often known as Excavata. The phylogenetic category Excavata, proposed by Cavalier-Smith in 2002, contains a variety of free-living and symbiotic forms, and also includes some important parasites of humans.-Characteristics:Many excavates...
d from solid rock and shored up with timbers.
A visit to the California State Mining and Mineral Museum offers the visitor the chance to explore the wealth of the Mother Lode
Mother Lode
Mother lode is a principal vein or zone of veins of gold or silver ore. The term probably came from a literal translation of the Spanish veta madre, a term common in old Mexican mining...
, view minerals and gems from around the world, and to experience a little bit of California's mining history adventures. Throughout the year special rotating displays from private collections and other institutions will be exhibited, making return trips to this museum well worth your time.
Educators can call the museum for information on curriculum based educational programs for Grades 1 to 12 and college level.
Proposed for closure
The California Mining and Mineral Museum was one of the 48 California state parks proposed for closure in January 2008 during the Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
administration as part of a deficit reduction program.