Empire Mine, SD

History
The Empire Gold Mine actually is made up of two former mines. The Golden Slipper and the Forest City Mines. They were purchased in 1933 by Mr. Upperon, a native New Yorker, hence the Empire Mine. The Forest City mine was discovered in 1911 and has a shaft 165 feet deep. The Golden Slipper was discovered in 1893 and had a shaft 460 feet deep by the early 1900's. There was a ten stamp mill erected at this site.


Hike
The trailhead is Forest Road 531 1C and is gated. Step over the wire and proceed. The old two track is badly eroded and overgrown but easy to follow. Eventually you will come to the end of this two track, blocked by several boulders. From here its more like a bushwhack as the trail is severely overgrown. Head for the valley below.Once at the valley bottom you will come to an abandoned overgrown two track. Take it to the left to explore ruins of the Golden Slipper Mine. When done, backtrack taking the overgrown two track in the opposite direction following it thru a valley and then up a hillside till you come to a intersection. You want to take a left here. The road going straight is marked 531 1D. Again bear left here. There is a lot of tree downfall for the next hundred yards. Keep following this trail to arrive at the old Forest City mine.

It was a large operation and the are several buildings and structures to see. When you've had your fill return the way you came. A GPS would be extremely helpful on this adventure.

2019-08-19 AZLOT69