With dreams of becoming a mining "empire," this tiny Colorado town was filled with hard-rock miners well before Colorado became a state in 1876.
Home to fewer than 400 people, the town of Empire sits at 8,401 feet on the way to Winter Park and relies heavily on the millions of cars that drive through along Highway 40 each year, especially each ski season. (It's also a notorious speed trap so SLOW DOWN when you're driving through it!)
Empire, located just off I-70 along Highway 40 at the foot of Berthoud Pass, is a favorite pit-stop for skiers and snowboarders on their way to Winter Park resort. It takes about 45 minutes to get there from Denver.
(If you're really interested, you can read the history of US 40, the highway running through town towards Berthoud Pass, here.)
It's so well known as a place to "go," that the town even boasts about its "beautiful public restroom" on its website. (Seriously, it's like kinda famous for its super-clean restrooms in a cute green house)
Empire's Big Mining History
In the mining boom of the 1860s, thousands of mining operations were at full speed in the mountains surrounding the 0.2 square mile town.
The precious ore was discovered in Empire in 1860, which was known as "Empire City" as early as 1861.
Soon, gold miners flocked to the small community in Clear Creek County.
Despite being smaller than a half-square mile, Empire has had four town halls over the years. Its current town hall was built in 1898 and is the white-and-green building along main street.
One of the town's early mayors was J. Wilson Woodrow, cousin of Woodrow Wilson, the 27th president of the United States. He was known to frequent what is today the Mad Creek Bed and Breakfast, right next to Red Men Hall.
Colorado's oldest operating inn
Empire is also home to Colorado's oldest and longest continually operating inn, The Peck House.
The building was first constructed in 1862 as the home of James Peck, the "Emperor of Empire." He owned the Atlantic Gold Mine, which sat atop the Peck House on Silver Mountain.
In 1872, an addition was built upon the original home and it opened as a hotel. It was the first building in Empire to have electricity!
In its heyday, many nationally recognized figures stayed at the Peck House including PT Barnum, Ulysses S. Grant and General Sherman, all in the 1800s.
Today, it sits on the National Register of Historic Places and is still open for visitors to spend a night or two in one of its 11 historically-furnished rooms.
The Peck House is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of James Peck, who was killed in a horse-and-buggy accident in 1880 at the age of 78.
The Original Hard Rock Cafe
The "Original Hard Rock Cafe" was open for decades along main street, although today, sits vacant without a tenant.
Opened in 1934, the Hard Rock Cafe was both a place for hungry miners to eat and sleep, as above the restaurant was a dormitory for miners.
However, it is not connected at all to the Hard Rock Cafe chain of rock music-themed eateries.
In fact, after a lawsuit, the Empire Hard Rock Cafe was not allowed to advertise outside of town as a result of a trademark infringement complaint.
After a fire in 2000, the Hard Rock Cafe was restored and reopened in 2002, until it closed in 2012.
After World War II, mining ended around Empire, and since then, the town has relied heavily on tourism to survive.
Small Town Living
Small town, local businesses
The small town (population about 400) has some great accolades, to include a few restaurants, Mountain Xpress Coffee Co. and Red Men Hall, a tribute to Native Americans that features local art.
It's short (but sweet) main street, Park Avenue, is lined with old-fashioned, false-front wooden homes and buildings, painted in colorful hues.
Many of the businesses rely heavily on drivers traveling through on their way to ski or recreate in the nearby forests.
Locally-owned Powder Addiction Snowcats sits in an old church building on Park Ave., offering guided skiing tours, cat skiing and other outdoor adventures for the adrenaline junkie.
For Colorado-inspired gifts, clothing and souvenirs, Colorado Country is a local shop worth stopping by.
A trip back in time (literally), old-fashioned clock shop J.R. Clockmaker sits in a colorful yellow home along Park Ave.
One must-try stop is Dairy King (181 Park Ave.), a cash-only diner right smack in the middle of town offering milkshakes, fries and burgers.
Lewis Sweet Shop (208 E. Park Ave.) is a family favorite, serving everything from malts and shakes, to ice cream, to candy (including chocolate-covered bacon — yum).
After the sweet shop, head down Main Street south of town to Minton Park, which includes an updated playground, basketball court, baseball field-sized dog park, and a covered picnic area equipped with grills and restrooms.
A mule named Jenny
Another option is Jenny's Pizza Empire (4 Park Ave.), a family-owned pizza parlor.
Jenny's, which serves up thick-crust pies, has been everything from a feed and grain store to a bar, restaurant, poker parlor, and gas station over the years.
On its bar are the scars of a bullet, supposedly fired by a drummer who once left the poker parlor in a huff.
Legend goes that Jenny's is named for a mule of the same name who swallowed some dynamite on the very site where the pizza shop sits today, and survived to work for years after the incident.
Jenny's is named in that explosive mule's honor.
Perhaps one of the quirkiest features of Jenny's is the sign outside the pizza shop that changes from, "NOPE" to "OPEN." So clever.
PHOTOS: Empire, a small ski town stopover
Native American history
Red Men Hall was dedicated in Nov. 1898 by the Improved Order of Red Men, Macinac Tribe #2. While the outside has changed very little since its construction, its inside has served as everything from a meeting hall to a school classroom to a newspaper office.
Today, it is an art gallery and a museum.
Green business
The town is also home to a few recreational marijuana stores, which one town history website says generate about $100,000 in sales tax per year for the town.
Real estate
Last year in Empire, the average listing price for a home was $283,360, a 4.4 percent increase from the year prior, according to real estate website Trulia.com.
