ohn Charles Fremont ("the Pathfinder") is an important part of Mariposa's past.

Fremont owned the floating "Las Mariposas" land grant, a part of which became Mariposa County, and owned the major mine in the area  His imprint on the town is readily apparent in two of the street names: Charles Street and Jessie Street were named for Fremont and his wife, Jessie Benton Fremont.

The flag designed by Jessie Benton Fremont and carried by her husband, General John Fremont during his explorations of the west during the 1840's. (Original on display at the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles, California.)