George Roberts, a lumberman, discovered the Empire Mine originally in 1850. While surveying timber in the area the lumberman happened to glance down at his boots, which were covered with tiny gold flakes. Believing the land held little gold and too hard to mine, George sold the land and rights for only $350. Within 13 years of this sale over a million dollars in gold was brought to the surface. Eventually the mine produced over 5.6 million ounces of gold before its closure in 1956.
Today the Empire Mine still hoards its treasure as geologists figure that only 20% of the gold has been removed from the mine. The Mine boasts an unbelievable 367 miles of now abandoned and flooded shafts and extends 11,000 feet on the incline a mile below the surface. The task of keeping track of so many tunnels was handled in what was called the “Secret Room” where a scale model was created and updated. Today the model can be viewed in the Park’s museum.
The men attributed to the success of the Empire Mine were William Bourn Jr. and his mine superintendent, George Starr. The later, Starr is credited with most of the technological innovations that helped to make the mine so successful
In addition to the museum, visitors can walk up the path to the
At Thanksgiving and Christmas, the grounds
are decorated for the festive season. It is recommended to call ahead for the
Guided tours and audio-visual presentations offered throughout the day at
various times by Park Rangers and local Docents.The park, purchased by the state of
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