Ghost Town
Biographical Guide
to
These brief biographies & listings are
about just a few of the people involved in establishing the
mining camps and living in
on these Mariposa
County Ghost Town web pages.
SURNAME
|
GIVEN NAME |
BIOGRAPHY |
|
ADAMS |
“Mr.” |
He and Mr. CARTER
owned the ADAMS
& CARTER Stamp Mill. |
|
ARTRU |
Honore Isadore |
The Artru Mine was named after this miner who died in 1932 at the age of 83. |
|
ASHWORTH |
“Mr.” |
Owned
a wooden stable in Mariposa. It was one of the few wooden buildings not burned
in the fire of 1866. |
11 |
ASHWORTH |
Stonewall Jackson “Jack” |
He was born near Mormon
Bar November 01, 1862. His parents
settled there after coming from |
11 |
BAGBY |
B.
A. |
In 1890 the name of the post office and the community of Benton Mills along the Merced River were changed from Benton Mills to BAGBY, after Mr. B. A. BAGBY who at that time was the hotel owner. |
|
BARCROFT |
Ralph Wood |
Owned and operated the Hornitos Saloon
in Hornitos. He was also the discoverer and early
operator of the Barcroft-Enterprise Mine near Hornitos. There are a number of BARCROFT
graves in the |
14 |
BELL |
“Mr.” |
Owned
a saloon in Coulterville. It was flooded during the major floods in
January, 1862. |
11 |
BIGLER |
Joseph |
Original owner of the
Bon Ton Saloon in Bear
Valley. It was directly across
the street from |
11 |
|
Margaret |
After John’s death, Margaret eventually
remarried to a Mr. NEWMAN (see below), who was later the |
11 |
BOND |
Stephan |
BOND was a storeowner and operated the post office in the small 1850s era mining camp of Bondville, which was named after him. |
|
BONDURANT |
(Judge) James A. |
This early county judge was also a mine
owner, operating the 1850s era Bondurant
Mine. |
|
BRICE |
William |
In 1909, Wm. BRICE moved a house
and store to this location establishing a resort along the Merced River at
the junction of SH 140 and Bull Creek Road, nine AIR miles east-northeast of
Bear Valley, and nine AIR miles (15.1 road miles) north of Mariposa. In the 1920s a convict work camp was
located across the river, and when it was abandoned in 1926, BRICE
moved to the south side of the river. |
|
BRUSCHI |
Francisco |
Built the 1st permanent
building in the future town of Coulterville, and for
over 80 years his family were leading merchants in Coulterville. He may also have been involved in the Bruschi Mine near present day |
2,
11 |
CAMPODONICA |
“Mr.” |
Owned one of Hornitos’ early commercial buildings. |
|
CARTER |
“Mr.” |
He and Mr. ADAMS owned the ADAMS & CARTER Stamp Mill. |
|
CASHMAN |
“Mr.” |
CASHMAN,
in partnership with Mr. SULLIVAN owned and operated a brick store in Mariposa
in 1852, which was later used by Colonel John C. FREMONT as original
offices for his 44,000-acre land grant rancho. It was spared in the fire of 1866. |
11 |
CASSARETTO |
“Mr.” |
In 1851, he built a store in Hornitos. |
|
CAVAGNARO |
“Mr.” |
Owned and operated a single story wooden store in early-day Hornitos. At the time of our visit in April, 2002, it had collapsed. |
|
CHAMBERLAIN |
Newell D. |
Author of the book THE
CALL OF GOLD — True Tales on the Gold Road to Yosemite. The book is now online at: http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/call_of_gold/ |
5, 11 |
CHITTENDEN |
George |
Owned and operated Chittenden’s Mine, located near the Elk Horn
Ranch, which was located on the |
|
CLARK |
D. C. |
Built a sawmill
at the location of the Acorn
Inn in 1854. His home is still
standing across the highway from the old inn, which in 2002 was a
church/revival hall. |
E-mail from Carolyn Ferobin |
COOK
|
Fred S. |
Author and publisher of a series of books
about various counties and areas in |
9 |
COULTER |
George W. |
In 1849 or 50, Coulter
established a store and hotel in the town that would later bear his name. In
1854 the post office and town of |
1,
2, 4, 11 |
COUNTS |
George |
One-time
owner of the City Hotel in Coulterville, burned in the fire of July 1879. |
11 |
CROSS |
James |
The
destructive fire of July, 1888 started at his residence and spread through
the entire town of Bear
Valley. |
11 |
CUNEO |
Frank |
His
home and store in Coulterville
burned in the fire of July 1879. |
11 |
DAVIS |
Stephan |
Owned
and operated a store in Maxwell’s Creek (later called Coulterville)
from May, 1852 through April, 1854. |
11 |
DEBOLT |
John |
His
restaurant in Coulterville
burned in the fire of July 1879. |
11 |
DENNIS |
“Mr. & Mrs.” |
Their house in Hornitos was one of the first frame buildings in the county, and was still standing in 1939. |
|
EARLY |
Thomas |
In
1850, discovered and named the Early
Mine, in the Sweetwater
Mining District. He was the
county sheriff between 1855-1857. |
1 |
FREMONT |
(Colonel) John
Charles (wife) Jessie BENTON |
A
major political figure and owner of the massive Rancho Las Mariposas, in the It
was famous for “floating boundaries” as it didn’t have fixed borders. So he would “drift” his rancho borders to
cover important gold discoveries, upsetting the miners. That was eventually resolved when the
boundaries were surveyed to include Mariposa, He
also owned and operated the Oso
House hotel in Bear
Valley, and also owned and operated the famed Pine
Tree & Josephine Mines in Hell’s Hollow north of Bear
Valley. They made their home in Bear
Valley until 1859, when he bought a home in He was involved in
politics, with a brief stint as US Senator from California, and took a run at
the presidency, losing to James Buchanan.
His political career thus ended, a financially destitute John C. FREMONT
died in |
2,
9, 11 |
GAGLIARDO
|
Mr. |
Owned and operated a store in early-day Hornitos. |
|
GAINES |
(brothers) |
Owned the Gaines Mine,
located about 4.5 miles northeast of Hornitos. By they had already sold to the M.
Hulling & Co., of |
|
GHIRARDELLI |
Domenico |
In 1855 he built a
store of schist and adobe walls, later moving to |
|
GOSS |
Andrew |
Erected
the first stamp mill for crushing gold ore at Coulterville. |
2 |
GUDDE |
Erwin G. |
Author of books about the historical
sites and gold camps of A
Geographical & Historical Dictionary of Camps, Towns, and Localities
Where Gold was Found and Mined; Wayside Stations & Trading Centers.
The
Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. |
1,
4 |
HARLOW |
“Mr.” |
His
blacksmith shop in Coulterville
burned in the fire of July 1879. |
11 |
HAYDEN |
Charles, David and Willard |
They
were pioneer miners and owners of the Great Johnson Vein at what later became
known as Bear
Valley. In 1850-1852, the
early community there was called Haydensville,
after them. |
|
IRONTON |
George |
With partner Clement S. SIMPSON, they
owned a store advertised in the Apr 7, 1854 Mariposa Chronicle at “Whiskey
Flat, Sherlock’s Creek, sign of the GROUND HOG.” |
1 |
JOHNSON |
John F. “Quartz” |
In the 1850s, he discovered a couple of mines in the county. The Johnson Flat Mine near Hornitos and the Great Johnson Vein, which later evolved into the Pine Tree & Josephine Mine, were both named after him. |
|
MARRE
|
Carlo |
Ruins of his old c1860s adobe and rock store are still on the east side of the highway in Bear Valley. |
|
MARTINEZ |
Rosie |
In 1851, she owned and operated Hornitos’ only two-story fandango/dance hall. |
|
MENTZER |
Jonathan |
His
home and livery stable in Coulterville
burned in the fire of July 1879. |
11 |
NEWMAN |
“Mr.” |
One-time Mariposa County Assessor, among
other duties. Married Margaret BIGLER
after the death of her husband. He
also operated a butcher shop in Bear
Valley. |
11 |
|
Margaret |
A widowed Margaret BIGLER
remarried Mr. NEWMAN, after her first husband John BIGLER was
shot to death (SEE
above). In Bear
Valley, she operated a bakery in the old saloon, until it was sold to
the TRABUCCO family. |
11 |
OLCESE |
“Mr.” |
Owned one of Hornitos’ early commercial buildings. |
|
PEARD |
Henry |
He owned a saloon in Bear
Valley, selling it to John TRABUCCO only three days before the
disastrous fire of July 1888. |
11 |
PENDOLA |
“Mr & Mrs” |
Their
home and outbuildings in Coulterville
burned in the fire of July 1879.
The store was spared. |
11 |
PROUTY |
Robert |
One of the early-day Mariposa County
Sheriffs and owner of the PROUTY Ranch, which was on or near Brown’s
Creek about seven miles north of Merced Falls (which is in Merced Co.). His ranch was the site of New
Year’s Diggings, an 1850s placer mining
camp. |
1 |
REEB |
George |
Owned and operated a butcher shop during Hornitos’ heyday. In 1884 his house caught fire creating a little excitement in the town. |
|
REED |
J.W. |
Their
home in Coulterville
burned in the fire of July 1879, and was the starting point of that fire,
which destroyed the booming community. |
11 |
RICE |
M. E. |
He
purchased the Oso House in Bear
Valley from Col. John FREMONT.
|
11 |
RIDLEY |
Thomas E. |
In 1850-1851 he operated Ridley’s
Ferry across the |
|
RIHN |
John C. |
His
butcher shop and home in Coulterville
burned in the fire of July 1879. |
11 |
SARGENT |
Shirley
|
Author of the book MARIPOSA
COUNTY GUIDEBOOK – Seven Tours in Colorful Butterfly Country. |
12 |
SAVAGE |
James D. |
Established a number
of trading posts/stores. He feared an
uprising of the local Native Americans, so he moved from #1 in the spring of 1850
to a location along Mariposa Creek.
Store #2 was burned by Indians in December of that year. A group of volunteers formed a “militia”
and found an Indian village along the North Fork of the SAVAGE came to the
future Mariposa County in 1846. In
early 1851, SAVAGE was elected mayor of Mariposa,
and formed the Mariposa Battalion, a volunteer militia put together to track
down and search for any other Indians in the back country. In their wanderings, the Mariposa Battalion
discovered the beautiful and magnificent SAVAGE was killed in August 1852 by a political opponent. |
2,
9 |
SCHLAGETER |
H. |
Owner of one of Mariposa’s
largest hotels, a large two-story brick structure with wide wrap-around
balconies. It burned in the fire of
1866 and was rebuilt, and is still standing today. |
6, 11, 14 |
SIMPSON |
Clement S. |
With partner George IRONTON, they
owned a store advertised in the Apr 7, 1854 Mariposa Chronicle at “Whiskey
Flat, Sherlock’s Creek, sign of the GROUND HOG.” |
1 |
SULLIVAN |
Mr. |
SULLIVAN,
in partnership with Mr. CASHMAN owned and operated a brick store in Mariposa
in 1852, which was later used by Colonel John C. FREMONT as original
offices for his 44,000-acre land grant rancho. It was spared in the fire of 1866. |
11 |
THOMPSON |
John |
Owned the two-story
IOOF hall and operated a saloon in the lower floor at Bear
Valley at the time of the 1888 fire. |
11 |
TISCORNIA |
A. |
His
home and stable in Coulterville
burned in the fire of July 1879.
His store was spared as it was “fireproof.” |
11 |
TRABUCCO |
Frank |
Owned and operated a wood-frame store in Bear Valley. |
|
|
“Mr. & Mrs.” Harold
(Daughter)
Barbara EASTON |
In 1960 Mrs. TRABUCCO and Barbara |
11 |
|
John
|
(Son of Frank?) Was the owner of the TRABUCCO
Store in Bear
Valley.
In the late 1880s, he also operated the Bon Ton Saloon after
purchasing it from Mrs. NEWMAN (BIGLER). A Wells Fargo & Company Express office
was moved from the Oso House to the Bon Ton. The Bon Ton was one of the victims of the
1888 fire. He rebuilt the saloon, but
closed it in 1900 when he and his family moved to nearby Mt.
Bullion. He also appears to
have been the owner of several saloons at the time of the 1888 fire. |
11 |
|
Louis & Elenor (Eleanor?)
|
Parents of John, they were early Bear
Valley citizens. |
11 |
TRUE |
Ed |
TRUE was the
grandson of M. E. RICE, and owned the OSO HOUSE, in Bear
Valley at the time it burned in 1937. |
11 |
WAGONER |
“Mr.” |
Owned an early day store in Coulterville. |
11 |
MORE INFORMATION
Historians estimate that there may be as many as
50,000 ghost towns scattered across the The Ghost Town
Guru's Guide to the Ghost Towns of “STATE”™ These original guides are designed for anybody
interested in ghost towns. Whether you are a casual tourist looking for a new
and different place to visit, or a hard-core ghost town researcher, these
guides will be just right for you. With over 30 years of research behind
them, they will be a welcome addition to any ghost towner's
library. Thank
you, and we'll see you out on the Ghost Town Trail! For
more information on the ghost towns of Mariposa
County, CALIFORNIA,
contact us at Ghost Town USA. E-mailers, PLEASE NOTE: Due
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IMPORTANT These biographical listings and historical
vignettes of ghost towns, near-ghost towns and other historical sites in Mariposa
County, CA above are for informational purposes only, and should NOT be construed to grant permission to
trespass, metal detect, relic or treasure hunt at any of the listed sites. If the reader of this guide is a metal detector
user and plans to use this guide to locate sites for metal detecting or relic
hunting, it is the READER'S
responsibility to obtain written permission from the legal property owners.
Please be advised, that any state or nationally owned sites will probably be
off-limits to metal detector use. Also be aware of any federal, state or
local laws restricting the same. When you are exploring the ghost towns of Mariposa
County, CA, please abide by the Ghost Towner's
Code of Ethics. |
Return to the GTs of
Mariposa Co., CA Index
Page
Detailed information on individual
locations:
AGUA
FRIA | BAGBY | BEAR
VALLEY | COULTERVILLE
| HORNITOS | MARIPOSA
| MOUNT
BULLION
BIOGRAPHIES | SOURCES
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FIRST POSTED: December 10, 2001
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