Yosemite Gifts, in downtown Mariposa, features a huge array of everything from authentic totem poles to thousands of rocks, mineral specimens, custom hand-crafted silver jewelry by Su's Creations, unique imported items and lots of high quality trinkets for you and your family so no one gets left out. Fossils, old books, collectables, vintage signs and much more round out our offerings.

Our beautifully restored shop occupies a building whose history starts with John C. Fremont’s land grant. Fremont sold a parcel to Frances Williams, who in turn sold to Francis W. Mello. The Capital Saloon was opened on August 24, 1867 by Henry Joseph Miller, who had purchased this property from Mello in 1866. The Capital Saloon was a new brick building next to the Wells Fargo office. Joseph Miller was also the postmaster, express agent, and an agent for Washburn & Company Stages (the same Washburns who built and operated the Wawona Hotel). After Joseph Miller passed away in 1882, the Capital Saloon was run by John W. Reed, until his death in 1919. After some delay in settling Reed’s estate, it came into the hands of John H. Ellingham, a grandson of Joseph Miller. Ellingham worked the saloon and café until the early 1950’s and then leased it to Oscar Hagen, who ran it for another five years.

Finally in 1971 Dewey and Betty L. Hull purchased the Capital Saloon from the Ellingham estate. Bob Hull changed the name to “Hull House” and held it until selling it to Shirley Felix in 1997. Shirley turned the saloon into an antique shop, then sold the property to Sue and John Carney in 2002. They restored the original saloon front and reopened it as Yosemite Gifts in an expansive room whose wood-paneled walls and ceilings, and over-sized front windows recall an era when the desire to impress depended on craftsmanship and beautiful materials, the same qualities characterizing our offerings today.