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Bridgeport, Mariposa County, California

Bridgeport is a ghost town in Mariposa County, California, situated on Agua Fria Creek in southwestern Mariposa County, approximately five miles southwest of Mariposa. The settlement developed as a placer mining camp in the early 1850s and later became associated with the Washburn family's mining and transportation ventures.

History

Gold Rush settlement

Bridgeport was established as a placer mining camp in the early 1850s, at a crossing of Agua Fria Creek where a road from the San Joaquin Valley passed through southwestern Mariposa County. The settlement lay near Agua Fria, which had served as the original county seat of Mariposa County.

Washburn family and Yosemite road

Henry, John, and Edward Washburn discovered and worked a quartz mine at Bridgeport on Mariposa Creek. Henry Washburn also operated a general store at the settlement. In 1875, he constructed the second road to Yosemite Valley, which brought Yosemite-bound travelers through Bridgeport. The Washburn brothers later built and operated the Wawona Hotel.

Decline

As mining activity diminished, Bridgeport functioned as a stage stop on the Washburn road. The settlement eventually declined as transportation routes shifted. No post office is recorded as having operated at Bridgeport.

Geography

Bridgeport lies on Agua Fria Creek in southwestern Mariposa County. The surrounding area falls within the Buckeye Mining District, which included the Washburn Mine among several operations.

See also

References