 After Burbank's death in 1926, the remaining extant Burbank plants were cataloged by representatives from Stark Brothers Nursery in Missouri (an influential former client of Burbank's) after which the farm fell into disuse and disrepair until the mid-1970s.The Western Sonoma County Historical Society was formed in Sebastopol at that time from the ranks of local volunteers with the original mission of assuring the preservation and maintenance of Burbank's Gold Ridge Farm.This mission has expanded to presently include the West Sonoma County Museum (headquartered at the old train depot building in downtown Sebastopol), the Sebastopol Archives and the Triggs Reference Room and genealogical archives.