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All the United States Oregon Sumpter Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge
AO Edited

Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge

During its heyday, 72 one-ton buckets from this dredge bore into the Powder River excavating vast gold deposits.

Sumpter, Oregon

Added By
Hadley Meares
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Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge   Travel Baker County
Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge   Travel Baker County
Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge   Travel Baker County
Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge   Travel Baker County
Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge   Travel Baker County
Front of the dredge.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
The dredgelands are slowly revegetating–   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
The dredgelands are slowly revegetating (another view).   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Back of the dredge. The spoil would be discharged here.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
The dredge, showing the back conveyor.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Miscellaneous old mining equipment at the site.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Close-up of the bucket chain that did the digging.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Rusting safe.   raisabusygod / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  mikhailchayka / Atlas Obscura User
  mikhailchayka / Atlas Obscura User
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About

During the 1860s, massive deposits of gold were uncovered in eastern Oregon. Not long after this discovery came the establishment of the small town of Sumpter, founded by rough and tumble prospectors eager to unearth their fortune in the freezing, isolated landscape. As tales of gold discoveries began to spread and with improvements to transportation during the 1890s, Sumpter transformed into a quintessential boomtown. 

Between 1913-1954, three traveling gold dredges worked the Powder River. In 1934, the current dredge was crafted from pieces of the first dredge and was manned by three employees. The dredge ran for 24 hours, seven days a week, only pausing for Christmas and the Fourth of July. It's said that employees who stayed on the dredge were haunted by "Joe Bush," a spirit they would use as a scapegoat whenever something went wrong.  

The dredge finally closed in 1954. In total, it hauled in an astounding $4 million worth of gold. By today's gold standard, the haul would have amounted to around $150 million. The last dredge sat abandoned for years, though it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It's now a State Heritage Area, and a ranger can give you a guided tour of the restored dredge, with its hard machinery still attached, as it longs for the next gold rush. 

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Gold Rush Gold Machines Discovery

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Added By

hadleymeares

Edited By

slgwv, raisabusygod, Collector of Experiences, jonathancarey...

  • slgwv
  • raisabusygod
  • Collector of Experiences
  • jonathancarey
  • mikhailchayka

Published

February 26, 2020

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Sources
  • https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkHistory&parkId=174
  • https://westernmininghistory.com/1180/sumpter-valley-gold-dredge/
  • https://www.historicsumpter.com/about/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Bush_(ghost)
Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge
211 Austin St
Sumpter, Oregon, 97877
United States
44.742539, -118.204117
Visit Website
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Nearby Places

The Great Salt Lick

Baker City, Oregon

miles away

The Armstrong Nugget

Baker City, Oregon

miles away

William N. Banton Tool Shop

La Grande, Oregon

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oregon

Oregon

United States

Places 208
Stories 32

Nearby Places

The Great Salt Lick

Baker City, Oregon

miles away

The Armstrong Nugget

Baker City, Oregon

miles away

William N. Banton Tool Shop

La Grande, Oregon

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oregon

Oregon

United States

Places 208
Stories 32

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