Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge
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Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge
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 Location in Oregon
Location in the United States
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| Location | SW of Sumpter near Cracker Creek, Sumpter, Oregon |
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| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1935 |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000676 |
| Added to NRHP | October 26, 1971 |
The Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge is a huge, historic machine used to find gold. It is located in Sumpter, in the U.S. state of Oregon. People first found gold in Sumpter way back in 1862. Three large gold dredges were used in the Sumpter Valley area between 1912 and 1934 to dig for this valuable metal.
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How Did the Gold Dredge Work?
A gold dredge is like a giant floating factory that digs for gold. It has very large buckets that scoop up earth from the ground. This earth, which might contain gold, is then pulled into the dredge's machinery.
Processing Gold: From Dirt to Riches
Inside the dredge, the dirt goes through a special process. The machinery separates the gold from the rest of the earth. The leftover dirt and rocks, called "tailings," are then spit out the back of the dredge. These dredges were built on a shallow hull, meaning they didn't need a lot of deep water. They could even move their own pond of water with them as they worked!
The way the dredge found gold was similar to older methods, but on a much bigger scale. It was like a huge gold pan or a sluice box. The dirt dug by the powerful, electrically powered buckets was sifted and sorted. Then, it was washed over a series of special grooves called "riffles." Gold is heavy, so it would settle and get trapped in these riffles.
Why Were Dredges So Efficient?
The main reasons dredges were so good at finding gold were two things. First, they could process a huge amount of earth very quickly. Second, they carried their own water supply. The Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge was incredibly fast. It could dig up more than 20 buckets of earth every minute. That's over seven cubic yards of earth processed in just 60 seconds!
Who Operated the Gold Dredge?
Running the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge was a big job that needed many people. Only three people were needed to operate the main machinery. However, 17 more workers were part of the crew. They helped with maintenance, kept records, surveyed the land, drove trucks, and managed other tasks.
The dredge worked almost every day of the year, for 363 days! Most of the men got Fourth of July and Christmas Day off. But even on those days, one or two workers had to stay on board. They watched over the huge machine during the evenings to make sure everything was safe.
History of Gold Dredging in Sumpter Valley
Three different dredges operated in the Sumpter Valley between 1913 and 1954. The Sumpter No. 3 dredge, which you can see today, was mostly built using parts from the very first dredge. That first dredge had been sitting unused for ten years before its parts were reused.
How Much Gold Was Found?
Together, these dredges traveled more than 8 miles (13 km) across the valley. They dug up a huge amount of gold, worth between $10 million and $12 million at the time. However, running these massive machines was very expensive.
The last dredge stopped working in 1954. It was more than $100,000 in debt. During its working life, this dredge alone found gold worth $4.5 million. This was when gold was priced at $35 per troy ounce. That amount of gold, about 128,570 troy ounces, would be worth an amazing $180 million today!
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The Dredge Today: A State Heritage Area
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has worked to save this important historical site. It is now known as the Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area. Visitors can explore the Gold Dredge Gift Store and Museum. The museum has a video with interviews from the people who used to work on the dredge. You can also see old photos and tools from that time. Tours of the dredge are also available, letting you see inside this amazing machine.
