A 45-ton concrete statue of a Gold Rush era miner stands at the entrance to Old Town Auburn, a small collection of shops, restaurants, and antique stores. The statue is a representation of Claude Chana (1811-1882), the prospector who discovered gold here in the foothills east of Sacramento on May 16, 1848.

Auburn dentist Ken Fox, creator of the Great Statues of Auburn, sculpted the miner at the request of the town. It’s made of a rebar and wire mesh framework covered in concrete. Fox sculpted the miner between appointments at his still operating dental practice on the other side of town. You can see more of his statues, constructed in the early 1970s, in other parts of Auburn.

  • Old Town
  • Historic Site

The Claude Chana statue which is one of first things to be seen upon entering Old Town Auburn from Interstate 80. Visit the Placer County Visitors Bureau to pick up a walking map of Old Town Auburn.

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