Empire Mine

Nevada County · Colfax Road, 1 mile southwest of Grass Valley · location approximate

The Empire Mine was originally located by George D. Roberts in October 1850. In the spring of 1854 the Empire Mining Company was incorporated and in 1865 new works were erected including a 30-stamp mill. In 1869 Wm. B. Bourne, Sr., purchased the Empire. When he died, Wm. B. Bourne, Jr., took over the management of the mine. The Empire Mine is the oldest quartz mine in continuous operation in the United States, having been in constant operation since 1850 to the late 1950's.

1971 register text, presented as a historical document. It uses the period's terms for Native people; the state's landmark listings still carry most of this wording, and the California Office of Historic Preservation maintains the program's current texts.

Many of these plaques have since been recast or their texts revised. The California Historical Landmarks program and its current texts are maintained by the California Office of Historic Preservation. California Office of Historic Preservation ↗

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Marker data: State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, California Historical Landmarks (1971)

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