EMPIRE MINE STATE HISTORIC PARK

Empire Mine was a hard rock mine; that means the gold was stuck inside quartz crystals and had to be dug & blasted out of the ground. Not what you normally think of when you hear "California Gold Rush," is it?

HARD ROCK MINING

Hard rock mining has been used around the world to excavate many different types of ore, not just gold. Copper, zinc, nickel, lead, & diamonds are all often obtained only through hard rock mining.

It involves digging into the earth shoring up tunnels, providing ventilation, pumping of ground & spring waters out of the mine, and blasting & removal of the ore. Mining for softer materials like salt, coal, & oil sands is called soft rock mining.

VISITING EMPIRE MINE STATE HISTORIC PARK

Plan to spend a good part of your day at this historic park, as there's a lot to see & do! Start at the Visitors' Center in the old carraige house & stables building. Find out about the guided tours, living history presentations, and audio-visuals that are offered throughout the day so you can make your plans accordingly.

Be sure to visit the gold mine's Secret Room while you're there - very few people were aware of its existence during the life of the mine - & explore the scale model of the mine's inner workings. You'll find a miniature replication of 5 square miles of underground tunnels and rooms where hundreds of miners spent their days extracting gold from the earth.

The old Mine Office is now a walk-through museum. Many of the other mining buildings & offices still stand in the mine yard, like the Refinery Room, the Warehouse, the Machine Shop, and the Headframe which supported the track that carried the men, equipment, & rock to and from the mine.

When you've finished at the Mine Yard, stroll the path leading to the other portion of Empire Mine park - where the miners & mine owners lived & played. I think you'll agree, it's quite the contrast!

Meander the spectacular grounds, exploring the Empire Clubhouse, the Gardeners House and Greenhouse, Empire Cottage, the ruins of Ophir Cottage - all amongst stunning gardens & landscaped parks.

Beyond the living quarters, you'll find forested backcountry with eight miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. You can see why I advise spending most of the day!

You might also like to visit these other California Gold Rush Sites:

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