Lock'em Up! Mariposa's Old Stone Jail

The first recorded jail facility for Mariposa County in California' Gold Country was built in 1852 from logs cut from surrounding forest. It was constructed close to the present day cemetery, near the creek behind the Trabucco Warehouse in the town of Mariposa. During this period, another tiny jail was built in the town of Hornitos and used to detain prisoners prior to transportation to Mariposa. 

1854 Mariposa

In 1858 a fire destroyed most of the south end of Mariposa, including the jail there. 

The same year construction began on a second jail. It  was built by J.O. Lovejoy for the amount of $14,744 using native granite stone quarried in the Mormon Bar area about two miles south from jail's location on Bullion Street. The granite intrusion from which those blocks were cut forms the southern barrier of the Mother Lode. 

 

Mormon Bar-South View 1858-60

The jail was completed in 1858. It is located on a small knoll above Bullion Street overlooking the town. The walls were formed from 24” thick granite blocks with the outside dimensions of 33 feet by 26 feet. Originally, the jail was a two story structure with a flat roof and a gallows built on it which extended from the east end of the building. Small windows covered by tiny, iron bars gave the building a foreboding appearance. Making prisoners comfortable was not a priority in the early days of the county, as many bad men who ended up spending time there discovered.

In 1892, the building was gutted by fire. It was believed the fire was set as part of an escape attempt. The only person who died in the fire was the sole inmate, Thomas Truit, which meant he did escape, but not in the manner he probably originally had in mind.

After the fire, the building was reconstructed by removing the upper story and changing the roof to a gable roof instead of the former flat roof. The surplus granite that came from the upper level was used in making retaining walls at the county fairgrounds.

Several prisoners have escaped over the years, usually by overpowering the guards. In 1935 two inmates escaped with outside help. Rivets were cut, an iron plate removed, and a stone block worked loose. Both escapees were captured in Oregon.

 

This facility remained the Mariposa County jail for one hundred and five years until 1963 when it was condemned.

The empty building now stands as a historical site with an E. Clampus Vitus plaque posted to tell its history.

Resources:
http://www.mariposacounty.org/ 
http://mariposamuseum.com/mariposa-town-ship/historic-jail/ 
Malakoff, California Gold Country: Highway 49 Revisited, The 
http://quarriesandbeyond.org/articles_and_books/gold_country/mariposa

Zina Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her historical novels. She has published five novellas in the Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series. Now is a great time to start with Big Meadows Valentine .
 

MARIPOSA COURTHOUSE by Zina Abbott

Mariposa County was formed in September 1850, even before California became the 31st State of the Union. Mariposa was one of the original counties when the state of California became a state shortly later in 1850. 

Mono County and the region known as Big Meadows east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains where my Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 is set was originally part of Mariposa County, as well as where I live in the San Joaquin Valley. territory that was once part of Mariposa was ceded over time to form twelve other counties: Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Merced, Mono, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, and Tulare. Thus, Mariposa County is not only the county of the Mother Lode gold mining region in the south, is known as the "Mother of Counties".

The original county seat was founded as a mining camp on the banks of a seasonal stream known as Aqua Fria located about 6.0 miles (9.7 km) to the west of present-day Mariposa. After a flood during the winter of 1849/50, and fires, the town was moved to the location of today's Mariposa, although mainly due to better terrain and the presence of Mariposa creek, a large producer of placer gold. In 1851 the "new" town of Mariposa became the county seat.

By 1854, Mariposa had a grand courthouse which is still in operation. The structure was erected using whip-sawed wood from nearby forests. Two sawmills, Humphrey & Geiger at Log Town and the Clark Mill on Bear Creek supplied the lumber. It has been argued which one actually supplied the lumber, but both were probably used.
 

Early Mariposa, Californa-Courthhouse is in upper right corner.

At the meeting of the Board of Supervisors on February 12, 1855 the building was accepted with a total cost of $9,200. The only problem was that the county still did not have enough funds to pay for the building. So the newly elected Board of Supervisors, which replaced the Court of Sessions as the governing body of Mariposa County, authorized the Treasurer to pay Fox & Shiver what funds that were held in the building fund and to make payments until 1858 when the building was paid for. Fox & Shiver took the county to court on July 23 rd, 1858 for final payments of interest owed.

The courthouse grounds occupy an entire block. The courthouse is so recognizable that its likeness is on the Mariposa County Seal. Also particularly noteworthy is the courthouse's clock tower and bell, which chimes every hour, on the hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

  

The Mariposa County Courthouse is the oldest superior courthouse west of the Mississippi and the oldest courthouse in continuous use west of the Rockies. The Court has conducted normal proceedings continuously in this courthouse ever since, the longest active period for any courthouse west of the Rocky Mountains.

This from the Fresno Bee, August 11, 1925

Mariposa-(Mariposa County) Aug. 11- After seventy-one years the old Mariposa County Courthouse has been fitted with water pipes.  No more will court be recessed while judge and jury descend stairs and cross the street to quench a Midsummer thirst.
 

Incidentally the improvements afford the first fire protection to the building since its erection in 1854, and progressive residents are in hopes that shrubbery and lawns will soon adorn the spacious courthouse grounds.

The Mariposa courthouse began recording cattle brands early on. Cattle brands belonging to Mariposa ranches are displayed inside the Mariposa courthouse. The brand for my husband’s father who ranched in Mariposa is among them.

Zina Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her historical western romances. Five of her books in the Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series, , Big Meadows Valentine, A Resurrected Heart, Her Independent Spirit, Haunted by Love  and Bridgeport Holiday Brides, have been published by Prairie Rose Publications and are available. A sixth full-size novel, Luck Joy Bride, is in the works.

Sources:

http://www.yosemite.com/what-to-do/mariposa-county-courthouse/

History of Mariposa: http://www.yosemite.com/mariposa-county/history/

http://www.visitmariposa.net/courttour.html

http://mariposacourt.org/

http://www.mercedmuseum.org/exhibits/past/cattle_branding.shtml

Wikipedia