8/6/2014
8/6/2014
Landmark information
- Location:
Site: Mormon Bar Crossing Rd, 500 ft SE of intersection of Hwy 49 (PM 16.7) and Ben Hur Rd, 1.8 mi S of Mariposa. Plaque located at entrance to fairgrounds on Fairgrounds Road, just E of Hwy 49 - Plaque:
Other Plaque - Site:
Existing - Date First Visited:
6/19/1998 - Date Most Recently Visited:
8/6/2014 - GPS Coordinates:
N 37 27.805, W 119 56.869
About this landmark
Plaque text:
Mormon Bar
In 1849, a group of Mormons established a tent encampment near here, while searching for land to farm. After an influx of gold miners the Mormons moved on. Next, came thousands of Chinese miners, merchants and farmers. Mormon Bar became the largest Chinese community in Mariposa County boasting a hotel, blacksmith shop, stores and gambling dens. Mormon Bar 1860 election returns reported the secession candidates defeated the Union candidates 21 to 17. In 1864 President Abraham Lincoln received 11 votes in the Mormon precinct. Mormon Bar was an important stagecoach stop for travelers to and from Yosemite. Granite used in building the Mariposa jail was quarried near here. Archaeological evidence shows that Native Americans lived in the area long before the Mormons arrived.