In 1854 , the town of Empire City was founded on the south bank of the Tuolumne River , one mile south of present-day Empire . It was reputedly named after New York City , the " Empire City " . However , some sources indicate that the town was founded as early as 1850 . The town shows on the 1852 Gibbes map as Empire . It is alleged to have been almost destroyed and deserted twice , in 1852 and 1855 . The town served as the head of navigation for steamboats on the Tuolumne River . Empire City became the county seat of Stanislaus County , and was flooded in the Great Flood of 1862 . In 1896 , the town relocated one mile north of the river , and was renamed '' 'Em pire ' '' for the Santa Fe Railroad
Great Flood of 1862
Great Flood of 1862
Empire, California