Sumpter in Baker County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)

Floating in its own pond

Moving the dredge

Photographed By Don Hann, August 7, 2017

1. Floating in its Own Pond Marker

Inscription. The dredge floated in about nine feet of water- but it could move anywhere it wanted in the valley because it took its pond with it.

Hard to imagine, isn't it? It worked because the dredge dug a pond for itself to float in as it moved -- scooping material in front and filling in behind.

The whole process took place in water and using water. At the front, the buckets brought gravel and rock into the dredge, and water poured into the hole that was left behind.

The material went through the dredge and was processed using water. At the end of the process, the tailings -- rock and gravel with no gold in it -- went onto the 96-foot chute of the stacker, and were deposited behind the dredge in piles.

The operator up in the control area set the cables to determine how deep the bucket line would go. He pulled them back to engage the bucket line, and began the dredging process.

When the dredge had finished scooping away a swath of bank, the operator used the cables to drag the dredge forward again, and the process started all over.

Erected by Oregon State Parks.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources. A significant historical year for this entry is 1930.

Location. 44° 44.545′

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N, 118° 12.215′ W. Marker is in Sumpter, Oregon, in Baker County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Austin Street. The Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area and the town of Sumpter are 30 miles west of Baker City at the base of the Elkhorn Range of the Blue Mountains. The park is open for day use every day until dusk, May-October. The marker is located directly in front of the dredge, behind the visitor center. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sumpter OR 97877, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Working Dredge (within shouting distance of this marker); Anchoring the Dredge (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Tale of the Tailings (about 500 feet away); A Golden History (about 600 feet away); Site of Bank of Sumpter (approx. 0.3 miles away); Sumpter, Oregon (approx. 0.4 miles away).

Regarding Floating in its own pond. The tool used to plow up most of what was once pasture and open meadows along the
Powder River is a five-story vessel known as the Sumpter Valley Dredge. Wider than a large riverboat, the dredge is now grounded where it stopped operating in 1954. It is one of the nation’s oldest surviving gold-digging dredges, (as opposed to the more familiar dredges used to keep rivers navigable for shipping).

Visitors are welcome

The Dredge and the Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Hann, August 7, 2017

2. The Dredge and the Marker

The marker is visible at the left of the dredge.

aboard from May-October. Take a self-guided tour or join a ranger led tour to learn: 1) How this vessel, weighing 1,240 tons with a 52-foot-wide hull, ended up in eastern Oregon’s Blue Mountains, 100 miles away from a navigable waterway. 2) How it managed to navigate the Sumpter Valley in a pond of its own creation. 3) How its 72 buckets (each weighing one ton) scooped up 1,600 acres of river valley at the rate of 280,000 cubic yards per month. 4) How a three-man crew per shift kept it operating 24 hours a day, year-round. 4) How it extracted $4.5 million in gold.

The Bucket Line image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Hann, August 7, 2017

3. The Bucket Line

The bucket line at the front of the dredge. 72 buckets, each weighing one ton, linked together on a boom, functioned like a giant chain saw cutting into the valley floor.

The Chain of 1 Ton Buckets Heading up into the Second Story of the Dredge image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Hann, August 7, 2017

4. The Chain of 1 Ton Buckets Heading up into the Second Story of the Dredge

Photographed By Don Hann, August 7, 2017

5. The Stacker

The 96 foot long "stacker" at the back of the dredge deposited the waste rock "tailings" in large piles behind the dredge.

Photographed By Don Hann, August 7, 2017

6. The Dredge

Full view of the dredge floating in its pond.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 12, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 12, 2017, by Don Hann of Canyon City, Oregon. This page has been viewed 178 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 12, 2017, by Don Hann of Canyon City, Oregon. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.