Empire Mine

The gold went south. William Bourn the younger inherited this mine, ran it for half a century, and built with its proceeds a country estate on the peninsula that is now a public house museum; the men who cut the rock were largely Cornish, recruited for hard-rock skill their own collapsing tin mines had made surplus, and they stayed in Grass Valley. The plaque totals the output at over a hundred and twenty million dollars. It does not say where any of it went.

What the plaque says

This plaque marks the site of the Empire Mine, noted for its continuous operation 1850-1957, producing over $120,000,000 in gold.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Empire Mine State Historic Park — 0.4 mi
  The oldest, deepest, richest hard-rock gold mine in California, with 367 miles of flooded tunnels underneath.
• Nevada City — 4.1 mi
  Gaslamps, brick storefronts, and the Nisenan who are still fighting to be recognized on their own ground.
• Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park — 14 mi
  A canyon washed out of a mountain by water cannon, and the lawsuit that ended hydraulic mining.

More markers nearby

• Home of Lotta Crabtree — 1.2 mi
• Home of Lola Montez — 1.2 mi
• Mount Saint Mary's Convent and Academy — 1.3 mi
• North Star Mine Powerhouse — 1.3 mi