Oakley in Contra Costa County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Dredges

Digging in the Delta

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, January 13, 2022

1. Dredges Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Fifty Years
That's all it took for the clamshell dredge to change the Delta from a vast wetland into the agricultural, water delivery, and shipping hub we know today. In the late 1880s, these dredges reshaped the waterways to ease ship navigation and reduce seasonal floods.

As farming developed, dredges used mud to build large and longer levees to protect fertile lands from larger floods. Levees also helped divert water to irrigate local crops and distant farms.

By 1930, the transformation was nearly complete. Even with all the changes since then, the Delta of today traces much of its history back to the clamshell dredge.

Erected by East Bay Regional Parks District.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1930.

Location. 38° 0.585′ N, 121° 43.701′ W. Marker is in Oakley, California, in Contra Costa County. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Oakley CA 94561, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured

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as the crow flies. Stopped by Impenetrable Marshes (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The San Joaquin: A River Runs Dry (about 500 feet away); California's Big Water Projects: How Did We Get Here? (about 700 feet away); The Migrating Delta (about 700 feet away); Carquinez Strait (about 700 feet away); "...What we see and have before us is not a river, but much water in a pond" (approx. 1.4 miles away); Anza Expedition Campsite 101 (approx. 1.4 miles away); July 4, Anno Domini, 1951 (approx. 4.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oakley.

More about this marker. The marker is located in Big Break Regional Park, along the graveled path that goes eastwards from the visitor center to the utility road.

Dredges Marker and Clamshell Dredge image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, January 13, 2022

2. Dredges Marker and Clamshell Dredge

A-Frame remnants image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, January 13, 2022

3. A-Frame remnants

The remnants are visible center-right, by the end of the yellow boom. Caption from marker background image: "This "A-Frame” from a scuttled dredge barge was a decades-old Big Break landmark. Although it toppled over in 2014, you can still see the remains of this relic from the pier..."

Credits. This page was last revised on January 15, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 15, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 91 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 15, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.