Bridgeport

Bridgeport is a ghost town in Mariposa County, California, situated along Agua Fria Creek in the southwestern part of the county, roughly five miles from the town of Mariposa. Its origins trace to 1852, when Andrew Church opened a trading post at a creek crossing that marked the entry point for a road coming in from the San Joaquin Valley. That modest commercial foothold grew into a small settlement with a lasting role in regional travel.

As the area developed, Bridgeport became a stop on the stagecoach route connecting Merced, Mariposa, and Yosemite — a line run by the Washburn brothers through their Yosemite Stage and Turnpike Company. That connection to through-travel defined much of the settlement's identity during its active years.

Today Bridgeport is a quiet remnant of that earlier era. Visitors should expect a modest historic site rather than a preserved townscape — the draw is the layered history of the creek crossing and its place along a once-busy overland route. Access is straightforward given its proximity to Mariposa, making it an easy add-on for anyone already exploring the surrounding county.