Placer County has its own set of Seven Wonders

Editor's Note: This week the Journal is running a "classic" Media Life from 2007. Columnist Gus Thomson is taking some time off from work at the newspaper. The new seven wonders of the world are poised to be unveiled in Lisbon, Portugal, with the heavy international hitters of the structural world leading the way. And while Placer County has no Great Wall (one of the leaders in voting after a push by the Chinese government) or Great Pyramids of Giza (the last survivor from the initial list compiled in the third century by Mediterranean scholars), this area has its share of local wonders. Media Life has compiled its own roster of Placer County's Seven Wonders and is presenting them this week in the spirit of a larger poll that has already seen 90 million ballots cast. "This campaign is neither democratic nor scientific," noted one critic of the global Seven Wonders effort, and Media Life will certainly abide by that maxim. And this particular list moves farther afield than just structures, taking in natural wonders as well. In no particular order, the county's seven natural wonders are: Giant Gap A yawning chasm flanked by mammoth, perpendicular walls of rock has been amazing humans probably long before 49ers stumbled upon it in their search for gold and named it Giant Gap. A spectacularly rugged and steep section of the north fork American River canyon east of Colfax, it remains relatively bereft of roads and other human incursions. It's also part of a stretch of the north fork that has federally protected Wild & Scenic Rivers status. Foresthill Bridge Linking the route from Auburn to Foresthill over the north fork American River, the 730-foot-high Foresthill Bridge is the highest in California and fourth highest in the land. It's also three times higher than the Golden Gate Bridge. Ostensibly, the span was built as part of the Auburn dam project. Water from a full dam reservoir would rise to 135 feet below the bridge deck — or to the top of the structure's concrete piers. Placer County Courthouse It's the first really solid piece of architecture people see after entering California from the east and probably one of the most memorable. Located in Old Town Auburn on a prominent rise in the landscape, Auburn's grand dame of buildings has been wowing locals and visitors alike since its completion in 1898. Construction took four years and cost a wondrous total of $174,000. Placer Big Trees Prospector Joe Matlock discovered these primordial giants 152 years ago. They're the northernmost grove of giant sequoias on the planet. The six surviving trees are as old as 2,500 years. They're growing on a forest slope in the Tahoe National Forest, 25 miles east of Foresthill. With their own genetic structure, the specimens in the Placer big Trees Grove are 50 miles from their nearest giant sequoia neighbors. Because of their girth, giant sequoias are considered the planet's most massive living organism. Tunnel Chute Leave it to gold-hungry miners to provide whitewater rafters more than a century later with one incredible ride. To get to the gold along the riverbed, miners used picks and shovels — with the help of some explosives — to burrow out a tunnel and divert the American River's middle fork flow. The result turned into a bonanza for miners and an 18-foot drop into the tunnel that provides an adrenaline rush for thrill-seeking rafters. It was considered unraftable until 1982. Lake Tahoe Part of the legendary blue-water lake is in Placer County, providing enough waterfront for a semi-wonder. But a bit of the blue is better than none. Tahoe is the second-deepest lake in the United States and the 12th deepest in the world. The Giant Fox Statues Admit it, the giant statues dotting Auburn's roadsides are wonder in their own right, whether you're talking about the Claude Chana in Old Town, the Chinese worker in Downtown or the Amazon warrior women on Auburn Ravine Road. Dr. Kenneth Fox, an Auburn dentist, constructed the concrete art objects in the early 1970s. More possibilities With any list like this, there's room for argument. So here are a few "honorable mentions" to keep the debate swirling: The Union Pacific railway through the Sierra could arguably make the list. The work was a huge undertaking in the 1860s. Squaw Valley? It's a ski hill with an Olympian history. The North Fork Dam, which produces the picturesque Clementine Falls, could have its backers. Same with the Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge, near the American River confluence. At the time it was built, it was considered an engineering marvel. Another wonder worth anointment? The Rainbow Bridge near Soda Springs — a picturesque piece of engineering constructed in the 1920s. (And for the record, the 2007 list ended up being the Great Wall, the Colosseum in Rome, Peru's Machu Picchu, Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramid, Brazil's Statue of Christ the Redeemer, the Taj Mahal and Jordan's Petra.) Reach Gus Thomson and Media Life at gust@goldcountrymedia.com or 530-852-0232. Thomson is a state and national award-winning reporter who writes for the Auburn Journal.