Watch Professor Margaret O’Mara deliver a keynote address at Placer Valley 2023
After adoption success at weekend event, $15 pet adoptions continue throughout October
Placer County Conservation Plan receives grant funding for Riosa Redwing Ranch North acquisition
This year's International ShakeOut Day is October 19
Nightly Closures Scheduled on Westbound I-80 Near Colfax
 On Oct. 10, 1946, the DeWitt State Hospital welcomed its first patients. Three buses transported the patients, all elderly men, from Napa State Hospital to their new home in North Auburn.
These first patients were joined by 100 women at the end of the month, though it should be noted that the hospital did not officially open until 1947.
The California Department of Mental Hygiene purchased the DeWitt campus from the U.S. government in January 1946. The largest employer in the Auburn area, the treatment team at DeWitt was comprised of psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric technicians, nurses, social workers and a variety of medical, office and safety staff.
The National Mental Health Act was passed that same year to develop and implement more effective methods of preventing, diagnosing and treating mental illness on the state level.
Although the maximum patient capacity was 2,133, by 1952 there were 3,040 patients hospitalized at the facility. Too many patients and a lack of adequate staffing taxed the hospital’s ability to deliver proper care.
In 1972, the hospital shuttered its doors, and Placer County purchased the property.
To learn more about the history of the DeWitt State Hospital and the Army’s DeWitt General Hospital that preceded it, please visit our DeWitt History Museum, located at 2985 Richardson Drive in Auburn, Wednesdays, 12 to 4 p.m. The admission is always free.
Photo: Psychiatric Technicians (Pysch-Techs) Graduation Day at DeWitt State Hospital, c. 1962
 Don’t miss the fun coming this next week in...
Roseville: Food Truck Mania, Blue Line Arts Presents: Cutting Edge Exhibition, Maidu Museum & Historic Site
Rocklin: Movies in the Park
Lincoln: Dora Dain Farm’s Pumpkin Patch, The Haunted Hop Field
Loomis: Preschool Storytime!
Auburn: Auburn Big Time Pow Wow, Golden Age Radio Halloween Show
North Lake Tahoe: Tahoe City Waterfront Walking Tour
Visit our regional partners to discover more of the fun happening right here in Placer County!
Placer County Visitors' Bureau
North Tahoe Community Alliance
Tahoe City Downtown Association
The Arts Council of Placer County
Placer Valley Tourism
PlacerGROWN
Placer Wine Trail
Find current state COVID-19 guidance, along with local data and resources, here.
 Whether it’s representing your community or sharing your expertise on topics like agriculture or parks, there are always opportunities for you to help advise county leaders on the issues that matter to you most. Recruitment is open now to fill seats on the following committees or commissions, among others. Learn more and apply
Current recruitments include:
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