Placer’s Gold Rush Museum to celebrate its grand re-opening Aug. 17

Published on August 13, 2018

Get a close-up look at the California Gold Rush as the Gold Rush Museum in downtown Auburn celebrates its grand re-opening on Aug. 17. The updated museum features new exhibits including a ghost town experience, giant photo exhibit with Gold Rush-era props, never-displayed-before artifacts and more.

Visitors will also find photographs, literature and interactive exhibits that help tell the story of the Gold Rush in Placer County.

Image of gold-rush-museum

“There is no event that impacted the globe like the California Gold Rush,” said Placer County Museums Administrator Ralph Gibson. “The discovery of gold in our local foothills triggered the greatest voluntary migration from around the globe in human history.”

The museum also features an indoor gold panning stream, old mining tunnel, theater, general store front and many historical artifacts from the late 1800s.

The grand re-opening will feature trained pack burros, docent-led gold panning demonstrations and refreshments. A short presentation by Gibson and District 3 Supervisor Jim Holmes will begin at 4 p.m.

Image of inside the gold-rush-museum

The Gold Rush Museum will be open and free to the public on Thursdays - Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is located at 601 Lincoln Way in downtown Auburn. Museum staff hope to extend operating hours in the near future as more docents are recruited.

Visit the Placer County Museums website for more information.