Empire Mine State Historic Park

10/15/2026

Despite the fact the Empire Mine was discovered and established in 1850, Empire Mine State Historic Park is just now celebrating its 50th anniversary—that is, the date it was officially

10/10/2026

09/30/2026

Bird walk coming up on 10/24!

Check out the birds at South Yuba River State Park with an Sierra Foothills Audubon Society walk!
South Yuba River State ParkMalakoff Diggins State Historic ParkCalifornia State ParksMalakoff Diggins State Historic ParkEmpire Mine State Historic ParkSyd BrownSierra Foothills Audubon Society

09/29/2026

We are turning 50! Join us on Saturday, October 10th from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Empire Mine State Historic Park. This will be a public event where former park staff and descendants of the Empire Mine’s employees are invited to share their stories.

We will be hosting an oral history recording station to record stories related to both Empire Mine State Historic Park and the Empire Mine prior to its designation as a State Historic Park.

Descendants of Empire Mine workers are invited to bring historical ephemera relating to their ancestor, such as photos and historical family documents, for park staff to scan and build out the life stories of the mine’s individual workers.

Former park staff attending the event is also invited to lead “What Used to Be Here” tours, record their own oral history of their time at the park, share ephemera, or join a speaker panel. To arrange to lead a tour or suggest a speaker panel topic, please contact the event coordinator, State Park Interpreter Jean Rhyne at [email protected].

07/14/2026

02/17/2026

ALERT: Due to adverse weather conditions, the visitor center and historic grounds of Empire Mine State Historic Park will be closed today, 2/17/26 and tomorrow, 2/18/26.
EDIT: We continue to be closed 2/19; if you plan to visit this weekend, please call our Visitor Center at (530) 273-8522 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to confirm if we have reopened.

Thank you and please enjoy this old photo of the cottage in the snow!