Holbrooke Hotel

The plaque contradicts itself in four sentences. It opens by saying the bar has operated continuously since 1852, then reports that the saloon burned down in the fire of 1855 and was rebuilt in fieldstone with a brick front. Both statements are probably true as the town understood them — the business continued, the building did not — but the bronze never reconciles them, and continuous is doing heavy work. The hotel itself went up in 1862 alongside the rebuilt saloon.

What the plaque says

The present bar of the hotel has been in continuous operation since 1852, when it was known as the Golden Gate Saloon. The wooden building had a rear extension called the Exchange Hotel and offered food and lodging by January 1853. The saloon was destroyed in the fire of 1855 and rebuilt out of fieldstone with a brick front. The Holbrooke, built 1862 had the adjacent Golden Gate Saloon incorporated in the hotel building.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Empire Mine State Historic Park — 1.5 mi
  The oldest, deepest, richest hard-rock gold mine in California, with 367 miles of flooded tunnels underneath.
• Nevada City — 3.8 mi
  Gaslamps, brick storefronts, and the Nisenan who are still fighting to be recognized on their own ground.
• Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park — 13 mi
  A canyon washed out of a mountain by water cannon, and the lawsuit that ended hydraulic mining.

More markers nearby

• Home of Lotta Crabtree — steps away
• Home of Lola Montez — 0.2 mi
• Mount Saint Mary's Convent and Academy — 0.4 mi
• Site of One of the First Discoveries of Quartz Gold in California — 0.6 mi