If you haven’t been out to Empire Mine State Park in awhile, there’s a new reason to go. They have a new attraction to check out. It’s a Cornish pump engine. Tom Newmark is one of the volunteers out there that call themselves the ‘Over the Hill Gang’. He says what’s so special about this attraction is that it actually works…

Listen to Tom Newmark

The hardware was purchased from the Nevada County Historical Society and a few parts were donated or reconstructed. Don Schmidt is a retired ranger at the park, and still helps out. He says they are looking for more things like this to have at Empire Mine…

Listen to Don Schmidt

At the time, ground water was an ever-present challenge for miners, and the pump was the only practical way to remove the water from the deep mines. This pump was originally built around the year 1880.

–gf