Gold Country Museum New Location Planned

Plans for moving the Gold Country Museum to the historic Auburn Depot Building received a big boost recently from the Placer County Board of Supervisors.

Board members voted unanimously to approve:

• Acquiring the Depot Building and site improvements from the Auburn  Chamber of Commerce for $1;
• Leasing the building site from the Union Pacific Railroad Co. for $14,780 per year.

The 2,059-square-foot Depot Building is located at 601 Lincoln Way in downtown Auburn. The Chamber of Commerce currently occupies the building, but plans to move soon to the old Auburn City Hall at 1103 High Street.

The Gold Country Museum currently is located at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Supervisor Jim Holmes agreed that moving the museum to the Depot Building is a great idea, saying, “This is a true enhancement for people who visit us to see the history of Placer County and the history of Auburn.”

At its new location, the museum also will help draw more visitors to the downtown business district.

“From the museum’s perspective, this move makes perfect sense,” Museums Administrator Ralph Gibson told the board. “This move will make the museum more visible and easy to find and give us a much better platform from which to interpret the county’s rich mining history.”

He emphasized that the Depot Building has an excellent heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, noting that the move will allow the museum to exhibit some items not currently on display.

Gibson noted that the Depot Building is a fitting location to highlight Placer County’s role in development of the Transcontinental Railroad, saying he envisions the museum having outdoor interpretive panels at its new location that will highlight the Transcontinental Railroad, Depot and Placer County’s significant role in the history of transportation in the United States.