Midpines

History

Before its development as a resort community in the 1920s, the area surrounding Midpines was a productive gold mining region known as the Whitlock Mining District, situated approximately five miles north of Mariposa and east of the primary Mother Lode belt. Placer mining began in the district shortly after the start of the California Gold Rush in 1849, with lode (hard rock) mining following soon after. Gold discovery in the district is credited to early prospectors including Lafayette Bunnell, Champlin Spencer, Thomas Whitlock, and John Sherlock. At its peak, the district hosted over 70 lode mines. Notable operations included the Buffalo, Champion, Colorado, Diltz, Golden Key, Landrum, Nutmeg, Schroeder, Spread Eagle, and Whitlock mines. The Whitlock Mine was a major operation, using a 20-stamp mill for ore processing. The district supported several small settlements that are now ghost towns. The community of Colorado (often designated as Colorado Quartz) established a post office in 1858 that operated until 1901; the town of Whitlock maintained a post office from 1899 to 1910. Mining activity continued into the 20th century, highlighted by the 1932 discovery at the Diltz Mine of a mass of specimen gold, which yielded over of refined gold. In 2008, a historical marker dedicated to the Whitlock Mining District was placed by E Clampus Vitus (Matuca Chapter 1849) in front of the Midpines Country Store.

Geography

Midpines is in central Mariposa County and according to the U.S. Census Bureau covers an area of , of which , or 0.69%, is water. The community is in the valley of Bear Creek, which flows northwest to join the Merced River at Briceburg.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• mule deer

  Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque, 1817) · Mammalia
  3,980
• Western Gray Squirrel

  Sciurus griseus Ord, 1818 · Mammalia
  3,724
• Acorn Woodpecker

  Melanerpes formicivorus (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  3,330
• California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

  Aphelocoma californica (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  2,383
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  2,061
• Oak Titmouse

  Baeolophus inornatus (Gambel, 1845) · Aves
  1,901
• Western Bluebird

  Sialia mexicana Swainson, 1832 · Aves
  1,717
• gray fox

  Urocyon cinereoargenteus (Schreber, 1775) · Mammalia
  1,675

Most recent

• M 2.69 — 2026-09-23
  25 km SW of Toms Place, CA
• M 2.54 — 2026-08-28
  22 km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
• M 2.57 — 2026-08-24
  18 km SW of Toms Place, CA
• M 2.76 — 2026-08-24
  18 km SW of Toms Place, CA
• M 2.76 — 2026-08-24
  19 km SW of Toms Place, CA
• M 2.53 — 2026-08-17
  18 km SW of Toms Place, CA