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June 21, 2011
Empire, Nevada, Is Closed
This was Empire, Nevada, as seen by Burners. (Photo by Frank A. Duck.) Empire was a U.S. Gypsum company town, known to those who attend Burning Man as the home of the Empire Deli (last ditch stop for supplies before the playa) and "Gateway To Gerlach."
Here's the Christian Science Monitor story about U.S. Gypsum's decision to shut down its mining and sheetrock operations there in January 2011. The result turned this little town of 300 into an instant ghost town. All the employees had been renting housing from U.S. Gypsum - $250/month for a house. The root cause, of course, is the slump in housing construction.
The gypsum mine may have been the longest operating mine in the country, starting around 1910. The town has been there since 1923.
The famous Empire Deli sits on land rented from U.S. Gypsum. The owner, Tammy Sparkes, says she is struggling to last until August when she can serve the Burning Man crowd.
The nearest school is in Gerlach where children from Empire made up 84% of the student body.
Filed under Burning Man | permalink | June 21, 2011 at 08:13 AM
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