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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Empire (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Empire. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Empire is located in Clear Creek County.

To see how the shape of Colorado's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Clear Creek County: Gilpin, Grand, Jefferson, Park & Summit.

Below are the counties that are near Empire. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Empire:

  • Clear Creek County     (The home county of Empire)
  • Boulder County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Empire, with the one closest to Empire listed first.
    • Eldora
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldora
      • Eldora is located in Boulder County
      • Former names for Eldora:
      • El Dora
      • Eldorado
      • Eldora has also been known as:
      • Happy Valley
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eldora
      • From Empire to Eldora
    • Caribou ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Nederland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pinecliffe
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pinecliffe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinecliffe
      • Pinecliffe is located in Boulder County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pinecliffe <1>
    • Tungsten ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tungsten. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tungsten
      • Tungsten is located in Boulder County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tungsten
      • From Empire to Tungsten
    • Wondervu
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wondervu have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wondervu
      • Wondervu is located in Boulder County
    • Crescent Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crescent Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent Village
      • Crescent Village is located in Boulder County
    • Ward
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ward have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
      • Ward is located in Boulder County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ward <1>
    • Magnolia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Magnolia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
      • Magnolia is located in Boulder County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Magnolia
      • From Empire to Magnolia
    • Eldorado Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Wallstreet
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Gold Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Salina
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Gilpin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Empire, with the one closest to Empire listed first.
    • Russell Gulch
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Kingston ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kingston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Kingston is located in Gilpin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kingston
      • From Empire to Kingston
    • Nevadaville ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Central City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Central City is located in Gilpin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 730 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Central City <1>
    • American City ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for American City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for American City
      • American City is located in Gilpin County
    • Apex ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Black Hawk
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Hawk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Hawk
      • Black Hawk is located in Gilpin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Black Hawk <1>
    • Smith Hill ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Smith Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Hill
      • Smith Hill is located in Gilpin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Smith Hill
      • From Empire to Smith Hill
    • Cottonwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cottonwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottonwood
      • Cottonwood is located in Gilpin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cottonwood
      • From Empire to Cottonwood
    • Rollinsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rollinsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollinsville
      • Rollinsville is located in Gilpin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rollinsville <1>
  • Grand County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Empire, with the one closest to Empire listed first.
    • Winter Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winter Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winter Park
      • Winter Park is located in Grand County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,106 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winter Park <1>
    • Fraser
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Tabernash
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tabernash have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabernash
      • Tabernash is located in Grand County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tabernash <1>
    • Granby
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hot Sulphur Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Jefferson County
  • Park County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Empire, with the one closest to Empire listed first.
    • Grant
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
      • Grant is located in Park County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grant <1>
    • Webster ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Webster. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Webster is located in Park County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Webster
      • From Empire to Webster
    • Weller
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Shawnee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shawnee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawnee
      • Shawnee is located in Park County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shawnee <1>
    • Bailey
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bailey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
      • Bailey is located in Park County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bailey <1>
    • Jefferson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Summit County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Empire, see our County-by-County Page for Empire.

Cemeteries Near Empire ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Empire.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Empire covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Empire, with the one closest to Empire listed first.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Empire had a population of 134 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Empire had a population of 302 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Empire, with the one closest to Empire listed first.

  • Lawson
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Georgetown
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Lamartine ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamartine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamartine
    • Lamartine is located in Clear Creek County
  • Dumont
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dumont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumont
    • Dumont is located in Clear Creek County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dumont <1>
  • Silver Plume
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Plume have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Plume
    • Silver Plume is located in Clear Creek County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 175 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silver Plume <1>
  • Graymont
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graymont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graymont
    • Graymont is located in Clear Creek County
  • Russell Gulch
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Idaho Springs
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Nevadaville ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Central City
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
    • Central City is located in Gilpin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 730 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Central City <1>
  • Black Hawk
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Hawk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Hawk
    • Black Hawk is located in Gilpin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Black Hawk <1>
  • Smith Hill ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Smith Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Hill
    • Smith Hill is located in Gilpin County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Smith Hill
    • From Empire to Smith Hill
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Chihuahua ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chihuahua. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chihuahua
      • Chihuahua is located in Summit County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Chihuahua
      • From Empire to Chihuahua
    • Cottonwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cottonwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottonwood
      • Cottonwood is located in Gilpin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cottonwood
      • From Empire to Cottonwood
    • Fraser
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Empire. See our List of 1890's Communities around Empire.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Empire ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 81 newspapers that have been published in the area around Empire.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Empire. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Empire and those printed in the larger area surrounding Empire.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<5> of Empire.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Empire:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Empire. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Clear Creek County: www.co.clear-creek.co.us/

The official website for State of Colorado: https://www.colorado.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Empire) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Empire. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.7608, Longitude: -105.6818    
<6>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Empire, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025