Enter a name, company, place or keywords to search across this item. Then click "Search" (or hit Enter).
Collection: Directories and Documents > Pamphlets
History of the Empire Mine by Nevada County Historical Society (PH 2-5b) (1968) (29 pages)
Go to the Archive Home
Go to Thumbnail View of this Item
Go to Single Page View of this Item
Download the Page Image
Copy the Page Text to the Clipboard
Don't highlight the search terms on the Image
Show the Page Image
Show the Image Page Text
Reset View and Center Image
Zoom Out
Zoom In
Rotate Left
Rotate Right
Toggle Full Page View
Flip Image Horizontally
More Information About this Image
Get a Citation for Page or Image - Copy to the Clipboard
Go to the Previous Page (or Left Arrow key)
Go to the Next Page (or Right Arrow key)
Page: of 29
INTRODUCTION
There is a lesson to be learned from the history of the Empire
Mine and the lesson is this: that deep mining is profitable if the mine
is directed by a competent manager and operated in a businesslike
fashion. The Empire Mine was fortunate enough to be directed by a
far-sighted manager in the person of George W. Starr, who guided the
Empire Mine from 1896 to 1928. Under Starr’s guidance, the Empire
Mine became California’s most famous gold mine, and one of the richest
producing mines in the world.
As a result of my research activities, I have selected four events
which I consider to be of primary importance in the history of the
Empire Mine. These four events are:
1. The discovery of the Empire claim in 1850 by George D.
Roberts on Ophir Hill in Grass Valley.
2. The saving of the Empire Mine from abandonment in 1878 by
the action of W. B. Bourn Jr.
3. George Starr becomes the Empire’s superintendent in 1896 and
guides the Empire Mine down to 1928.
4. The possible reopening of the Empire Mine in the future if the
price of gold should increase.
Underlying these four events is a theme of the Empire’s continuous
growth and consolidation over a period of 116 years. I have attempted
to present in the pages that follow “a” history of the Empire Mine from
a small claim in 1850 to one of the richest mines in California, and the
United States, and then its decline and final death in 1959.
To the best of my knowledge, what follows is the only complete
and detailed history of the Empire Mine that covers its entire 116 years
of rather “continuous” operations. Because of this, I have attempted
to thoroughly document the material that follows. An annotated bibliography will be found at the back of the paper, and an appendix, consisting of production data, charts and pictures, is also included.
pS soe