 The Sumpter
Gold Dredge is open in Sumpter Oregon May 1st-October 31st. Dredge Trails
are open year round! {541} 894-2472
Gold Dredge hours: 8:30 a.m. To 5:00 p.m Oregon State Park Hours: 7:00 a.m.To 7:00 p.m. Remember......Park Gates Will Close Promptly at 7 pm! The Gift Store and Museum is open 9-5 every day during the season! Inside the giftstore, you can enjoy an informative video about the history and operation of the dredge. Then....... take a walk around the dredge on well groomed trails that wind throughout the state park-winter or summer. Come in and see whats new! For questions and group tour information, please call  Be sure to stop in at the
Friends of The Dredge Gift Store and Museum! Nancy would love to meet you! Be sure to sign our guestbook
in the gift store when you visit!  Workers Reunion to share with us? We would like to hear it! We love to hear from folks who have favorite stories about the Historic Sumpter Gold Dredge!  |
Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge It was 1993 when Oregon Parks and Recreation recognized the need to preserve one of Sumpter's most visible and important historic monuments Sumpter, and so....in 1994, took responsibility for the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge. Without even moving, Sumpter's largest Historic Icon had a new home on nearly 80 acres in the newly formed Oregon State Heritage Area. This commitment from the State inspired local Sumpter Residents to form a private group... Friends of The Dredge, Inc. and so a very important partnership between state and private citizens in Sumpter was born! This partnership has been quite successful in restoring the Historic Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge to the current state visitors now enjoy. Future plans for preservation and continued restoration of the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge continue to move forward......  replacement of the original tailings under the stacker arm and repair of the wrench room is finally complete! Even the Wrench Room Floor and Stairwell leading Upstairs is new thanks to the help of the Oregon National Guard...........See more photos...... What else is new......? The Gold Dredge Gift Store and Museum has been remodeled to add a comfortable theatre where visitors can relax and watch an informative video about the history of the Gold Dredge......... The video includes interviews with actual dredge workers and visitors may also browse through historic photographs and artifacts in the museum.........Outside, the audio pedestals have been returned to their normal places on the docks and with just push of a button at each station visitors can hear a little more about the Dredge. Group tours are available ~ just give us a call! Visit our tour page If guided tours aren't your thing, no worry! You don't need a guide to see the Dredge! You can tour the Dredge and the State Park at your own leisure and on your own terms! Park Trails...... There are plenty of well-groomed trails winding through the entire State Park offering a variety of views at all times of the year! Be sure to allow enough time in your visit to enjoy the trails! The History of Gold Dredges in Sumpter Oregon......
in a boom in gold mining and giving birth to our town of Sumpter. But it wasn't until much later that plans for a mechanized, floating, placer mining operation in the Sumpter Valley were made. Originally, there were two earlier Yuba-style dredges built in the valley dating back to 1912 when the first dredge was built and then its sister dredge being later constructed in 1915. The Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge may have come last but certainly was not least of the three! In 1934, the last gold dredge to be built was launched with almost as much fanfare as an ocean liner and carried with it a renewed hope for prosperity for the town of Sumpter. The last Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge actually inherited many of its parts from Dredge #2 and was a larger and improved model with a hull that spanned 125 feet long and was 52 feet wide. The third dredge boasted 72 buckets and could operate at a rate of 25 buckets per minute. Unfortunately, no matter how big or powerful the three dredges were, the reality was that more gold was taken from the Sumpter Mountains by hard rock miners deep underground than any of the three dredges. And, with the pressures of the economics of the times bearing down on the area, Sumpter's third and last Gold Dredge was forced to cease operations forever in 1954 where it sits today. However, despite a certain irriversable impact on the environment, and despite falling short of their intentions, Sumpter Valley Dredges carved out a proud heritage and gained an important place in Eastern Oregon Mining history. Friends, when you board the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge you will no doubt leave the park with a sense of the heritage these machines have left us. And now........as the restoration process continues to evolve, The Friends of The Dredge, Inc. members are passionate in protecting, restoring and sharing our Gold Dredge with visitors from around the world! If you have never visited the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge, we would like to invite you to come for a visit this summer and we will be more than happy to show you around! Whether you are a gold enthusiast or just enjoy exploring the history of our area, the Gold Dredge is a good place to begin your journey into Sumpter's golden heritage! So if you've got a few moments to spare today, we invite you to explore our website and join discussions about the Sumpter Gold Dredge! Learn more about us
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Friends of the Sumpter Valley Dredge
P.O. Box 291 Sumpter, Oregon 97877 {541} 894-2472 |