 The Sumpter Valley Dredge will open again on May 1st! Join us for our opening day festivities - watch for details! Follow us on Facebook The Dredge is closed, but Friends of The Dredge will continue to meet all winter to secure more grants and plan for continued restoration of the Sumpter Dredge. We invite the public to each of our meetings and your input is always welcome! 
Workers Reunion |
Sumpter Valley Dredge Facts"A Monument to Gold and Memories.........."This Yuba-Style Mechanized Floating Dredge was built at a cost of approximately $350,000 and is the largest and most accessible abandoned gold dredge of it's kind in the country! At one time......it was considered an eyesore! Then, the Oregon State purchased the sinking dredge and surrounding land and began an agressive restoration and preservation process which saved the dredge from destruction! The Sumpter Dredge extracted more placer gold than any other Oregon Gold Dredge?The Sumpter Dredge had bow and stern lines 110 feet long and 1 1/4 inch thick which were anchored to the shore and a "spud" which is a steel rod at the center of the back of the dredge used as a counterweight and anchor. While the dredge pivoted on the spud, the bow lines swung the dredge or "boat".......as some workers called it. The Dredge was "stepped ahead" by tightening the stern lines so the bucket or "digging ladder" could dig and thereby develop a pond big enough to maneuver in, which sometimes required a boat for workers to make it to the dredge. About 3000 gallons of water per minute from two huge pumps flowed through the dredge's trommel and sluice boxes to recover gold from the buckets of material, which must have kept the workers wet at all times. The dredge churned and squealed 24 hours a day through the quiet meadows of the Sumpter Valley, spewing excess rocks out through the stacker arm, which islocated at the back of the Dredge, eventually leaving 1600 acres of tailing piles that are still visible in the valley today. Up to Twenty Three men were employed by the dredging company at one time, including the Dredge Superintendent, the bookkeeper, mechanics and ground crew, however, just three men were needed on the "boat" to operate the dredge during mining operations at any one time. The Dredge was powered by electricty from the Fremont Powerhouse near Granite, Oregon. In 1954, the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge ground to a halt where it is located now. The reasons for ceasing operation were economic......the costs of operation exceeded the profits from the gold that it dredged from the Sumpter Valley floor. Through the years the dredge had slowly sunk to the bottom of the last of the shallow ponds that it had perpetually dug for itself as it worked its way about the valley. During spring run-off, the pond would be amply full and the stern would float, while the bow end was weighted down by the digging arm and its 72 one-ton buckets. So the dredge sat, unused and quiet, with water lapping nearly to the main deck until The State acquired the property and began to agressively restore it, making the Dredge the centerpiece of the Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area in 1993.
The pond was sealed so the water level can be controlled. The hull has been pumped and much of its wood replaced, as well as interior bearing-weight beams and decking. The pond was then allowed to fill and float the 1,250-ton structure for the first time in many years. Sand from the smelter site was injected under the hull to create a pedestal for the dredge to rest upon so it appears to float. |
