California State Mining and Mineral Museum
Museum in Mariposa, California, United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The California State Mining and Mineral Museum is a museum of the state park system of California, United States. The museum exhibits and interprets the state's mineral resources and mining heritage. It is located in Mariposa, a city in central California, on the Mariposa County fairgrounds.[1]
California State Mining and Mineral Museum | |
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Location | Mariposa County, California, United States |
Nearest city | Mariposa, California |
Coordinates | 37°27′51″N 119°56′51″W |
Established | 1999 |
Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
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.