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 Gold Panning at
The Sumpter Gold Dredge! You won't even need your own gold pan! Borrow ours! Our staff will give you Gold Panning Lessons FREE! and..... If you find some Gold take it home for a real small fee! Imagine having fun and learning about history at the same time! Call us for details...... {541} 894-2472 or send us an email: info@friendsofthedredge.com Workers Reunion Looking for a Souvenir? Visit our Giftstore Visit these local websites for good information about our historic town! Find lodging, food and other points of interest in Sumpter! www.svry.com www.sumptermuseum.org www.sumpter.org www.historicsumpter.com The Monighan  |
Gold Panning
At the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge!
It's been a long, long time since gold was first discovered in Sumpter.......
Yet, after all these years, the old techniques of hunting for nuggets with a gold pan haven't changed at all! Its called Placer Mining or is more commonly referred to as Gold Panning.......New technology has brought us some new fangled machines to make some 
of the work a little easier thesedays, but when it comes down to it... a good old-fashioned gold pan is still the most exciting way to discover gold! Come on up to the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge and get some free lessons on Gold Panning at stations setup on the weekends! Don't worry if you forgot your Gold Pan....we've got spare Gold Pans that we'll lend you for free........ The nice folks inside the Giftstore will lend you a gold pan for free and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Rangers will even show you how its done to make sure you have the best chance of grabbing some of that gold stuff! Then, you are free to head over to one of the Park Dredge ponds or try your luck in the river like a real placer miner! What you find you get to keep! Beware of that pesky fools gold! 
If you have a tough time knowing which is which, don't worry, the friendly folksin the Visitors Center, or the Park Rangers will help! And....if you want to take home what you discovered, the friendly folks inside the store have vials for sale so your new treasure will be safe! Inside the Interpretive Store you will also find helpful information and books on Gold Panning.......... you can even purchase a map showing all the historic mines and mining districts in the Sumpter area which are fun to explore in the Summer! Teachers....... Wouldn't your students enjoy riding an historic steam train, touring the gold dredge and....learning how to pan for gold...all on the same field trip? learn more.........    |