Former settlement in California, US
Ridleys Ferry , later Benton Mills , is a former settlement in Mariposa County , California .[ 1]
It was located on the south bank of the Merced River , opposite the settlement of Bagby .[ 1]
History
It was on the Rancho Las Mariposas , an 1844 Mexican land grant acquired in 1847 by John C. Frémont . During the California Gold Rush Frémont built a stamp mill at Ridleys Ferry, and renamed it Benton Mills in honor of his father-in-law Senator Thomas Hart Benton .[ 1]
Thomas E. Ridley operated a ferry across the Merced River at the site from 1850 to 1852.[ 1]
The settlement endured during the 1850s and 1860s.[ 1]
See also
References
^ a b c d e Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State . Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 742. ISBN 1-884995-14-4
Geology People Culture Key California Gold sites Early US mining
37°36′35″N 120°08′09″W / 37.6097°N 120.1358°W / 37.6097; -120.1358
