Last updated: 8/4/2022
10301 Highway 49
Coulterville, CA 95311
Monday - Wednesday
closed
Sunday, Thursday - Saturday
10 PM - 4 PM
The Northern Mariposa County History Center, often referred to as the Coulterville Museum, offers visitors a glimpse of the life and times of early California, from the early 1800’s through the boom days of the 1849 gold rush and the post gold rush era of the late 1800’s and early 20th century. Local residents, many third and fourth generation descendants of the original miners, ranchers and shopkeepers that settled the area, established the NMCHC in 1976 as a 501c3 charitable organization, securing the land, buildings, exhibits and financial support to open the Museum to the public in 1983.
While the museum appears to be a single “old” building from the outside, once inside, visitors can tell that two distinct buildings, each with its own, unique history, house the various exhibits. The entrance to the museum is within a remnant of the Coulterville Hotel. The earliest legal description of this building is dated 1863. It was a private rock walled residence until the 1890s when Percy Davis leased it and added two wooden stories, turning it into the hotel, only to have them burn down in the third great Coulterville fire in 1899. The adjacent Wells Fargo brick structure was built in 1856, originally housing both the local Wells Fargo office as well as McCarthy’s General Store. Nelson Cody, brother of Buffalo Bill Cody, was an agent here in the 1870’s and served as the area’s postmaster.
An additional structure in the rear houses a variety of old wagons, mining and farm equipment. Adjacent to the museum is “Whistling Billy”, an eight-ton Porter Locomotive that was shipped around the Horn and brought to Coulterville by mule team to bring gold ore from the Mary Harrison Mine four miles to the “forty-Stamper” mill. The locomotive stands under the town’s Hanging Tree, from which the likes of Leon Ruiz was hung in 1856 for robbing and killing two Chinese miners
The mission of the Northern Mariposa County History Center is to continue to build and maintain a strong organization that will provide for the collection and preservation of historic materials, sites, and promote the dissemination of the history of Northern Mariposa County, primarily relating to the California “Gold Rush” era of 1840 to 1920.
The new Chinese Display features items on loan from Susan Bramson which were brought back from China by her grandfather during the Boxer Rebellion. These include, among others, a two piece silk garment, a headdress, and a pair of red wedding shoes. In addition, two interesting pieces on display, found locally, are a bronze turtle and a wading bird which symbolize long life. They were traditionally given as wedding gifts. These were donated to the museum by former residents Chuck and Marna Shirley.
antiquities, historic site, history, photography
John Muir is included in the display featuring President Theodore Roosevelt’s signature in the Jeffery Hotel ledger. He was on his way to camp out with John Muir in Yosemite. This visit is said to have influenced Roosevelt’s decision to establish Yosemite as a national park.
Large model of the Coulterville Hotel and Wells Fargo buildings as they existed before the fire of 1899. The model was made in memory of Dr. Ernest Braun. His wife Dorothy, assisted their son Jim and his family as they researched, designed and built, this historically accurate model of the Coulterville Hotel. Completed January 19, 1997, the model took over 4000 hours to build.
Steam driven winches like this model, were used to drag logs from the forest to the mill. Mounted on logs or skids (as they were called), it cold pull itself to the most convenient locations required. It contained a steam boiler, stoked with wood, a steam engine to drive a horizontal winch or cable drum. The cable was dragged into the forest to a felled tree ready for milling. A signal was given to the winch man, who made three or four wraps around the drum and by pulling the cable tight on the drum, he more or less pulled in the log by hand.
This model was donated to Northern Mariposa History Center by: Robert C. Nash Family in honor of “Miner” Dave Noce, ‘A true friend’, 1989.
exhibitions, community heritage projects, guided tours, fundraising events
“The Gold Rush Town Too Tough To Die” This is how the History Center will portray Coulterville to the children of the local school districts…and perhaps to travel tour groups at a later time. A number of docents have agreed to depict historic members of our community from the gold rush times. Free tours are being offered this May and June to Kindergarten through 8th graders. K though 3 classes will get a 45 minute tour of the museum. There they will meet Mrs. McCarthy, the wife of the last Wells Fargo agent, who will show them around the museum. The children will then be able to eat their lunches at the park and there meet an “original Mariposa County sheriff of yesteryear”.
A 2-hour tour of Coulterville will be offered to 4th – 8th grade classes. They will meet up with a miner (49’er) at Whistling Billy who will accompany them through town with stops at the jail, hotel, and several other historic buildings, through Chinatown and on to the cemetery, where Mrs. Coulter will be waiting for them. After learning about some of the pioneer families buried there from this lady from the past, they will end up at the park.
The museum is staffed by volunteer docents. Pre-arranged guided tours are available for groups. Visitors may also take a self-guided tour.
Gift Shop
Online Gift Shop
Group Tours
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