Historic Mariposa, CA
April 25, 26, 27, 2008
JOHN CHARLES FREMONT
AND the
“Las Mariposas Grant”
by
The Mariposa area was named by a Spanish Priest under the direction of explorer, Gabriel Moraga.
The Mariposa area was the home to the Southern Miwok Indians who lived here for untold generations before any Europeans arrived in the
Juan B. Alvarado, Mexican governor of
“floating” grant which meant that it had no fixed boundaries. It was ten square leagues (approx. 44,400 acres) located generally on the Mariposa Creek between the San Joaquin, Chowchilla, and
Alvarado was never able to establish the fixed boundaries of the grant due to the hostilities of the Indian population.
In 1846, John C. Fremont gave $3,280 to Thomas O. Larkin, the
Before
They soon traced a large vein, a mile long, which they called the
“Mother Lode”.
Before
The Las Mariposas Grant finally took shape along this wide vein that stretched from Mariposa Creek to the
In 1855, the Democratic Party asked John Fremont to run for the presidential election. John Fremont was not pro slavery and when leaders of the Democratic Party told
John Fremont helped found the Republican Party and was chosen as its first presidential candidate.
During the American Civil War, John C. Fremont was selected as a Major General and put in command at the Western Department in
President Lincoln felt that John Fremont’s actions would cause slave-owners in
The Frank Long Ranch is located on the southern portion of the Las Mariposas Grant in an area called the
surrounding this ranch are the historic towns of
The Long Ranch was selected to host the Las Mariposas Civil War Days because of its historic location as well as its similarity to Civil War battlefields. The gentle rolling slopes and large grass meadows make it an excellent location for this event.