Midpines, CA

Midpines is a census-designated place in Mariposa County, California. The 2020 census counted 379 residents. Midpines lies among the Sierra Nevada foothills of the central part of the state at an elevation of 2,687 feet, 5 miles northeast of Mariposa, the county seat, and 22 miles by road southwest of El Portal. Midpines is composed of scattered residential areas along both sides of State Route 140, which is one of three principal routes to Yosemite National Park, some 30 miles to the east of Midpines. Taken together, these details give a newcomer a usable picture of Midpines, where its history, geography, and current gathering places meet.

ATTRStarlingjon ( talk ) / CC BY-SA 3.0

For Midpines, the memorable detail is the way older history and current gathering places share one local map. Midpines began as a resort, founded by Newell D. 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 mining following soon after.