Cat Town

Tucked into Solomon Gulch in northwestern Mariposa County, California, Cat Town is a former mining camp and settlement that once lent its name to the surrounding Cat Town mining district. The district sat near the Mother Lode and saw its busiest era of gold mining in the late 19th century, with later prospecting for molybdenum extending the area's extractive history into subsequent decades. The land here falls within the historic territory of the Southern Sierra Miwok people.

Today Cat Town is a ghost town, and visitors should arrive with modest expectations — what remains is more historical echo than standing structures. The appeal lies in the quiet gulch setting and the sense of California Gold Rush-era heritage embedded in the landscape. Those drawn to historic mining country and open-air exploration will find it a worthwhile detour.