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.

California Registered Historical Landmark No. 914

Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission. March 18, 1978.