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Free Traveling Guides » States » California » Gold Country
Empire Mine State Historic Park
Located at 10791 Empire St. in Grass Valley, California is the Empire Mine State Historic Park, home to the richest and oldest hardrock mine in California history. Between the years of 1850 and 1956 the mine produced over 5.8 million ounces of gold. The site and mine was obtained into the controlling interest of a man named William Bourne Sr., who ran the site from 1869 to 1929. Today, the mine is a spot of great historical interest and is open to tourists and visitors from California and around the world.
Featured within Empire Mine State Historic Park are historically significant tours of both the mine’s ground and the cottage within which Bourne and his family stayed during their time of ownership. The museum also offers a tour of a so-called “Secret Room”, which was kept hidden from view at the time of the mine’s operations. The windows were blacked out, and stored within was a perfect scale model of the mine itself, displaying in precise detail the underground workings of a small fraction of the shafts. There is also the Gold Room, which houses ore displays, and an extensive collection of minerals. The mineyard itself can be toured, where visitors can view authentic ore crushers and mine cars from history. There is also a beautiful and extensive rose garden, much of which was planted in the 1800s. There are miles of hiking trails for the adventurous, and planned for the future is an extensive underground tour.
- Website: www.empiremuseum.org
- Telephone: (530) 273-8522
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