Near Austin Street near Mill Street (County Route 410), on the right when traveling south.
As you look at the tailings in an aerial photograph or along the road, you'll see that they're played out in neat lines. Why are they straight? Because the dredge had an "anchor" to keep it going forward in a line, rather than wandering over the . . . — — Map (db m111245) HM
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 -- . . . — — Map (db m106871) HM
On Austin Street 0.1 miles west of Mill Street, on the right when traveling west.
Welcome to the historic world of Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area! Here you will find one of the largest gold dredges in the United States.
There are many ways to learn about the dredge and the people who worked it, from tours to . . . — — Map (db m106794) HM
On Mill Street (County Route 410) near Sumpter Street, on the right when traveling north.
Bank was established in 1899 with a capital stock of $10,000.00. The first officers were A.P. Goss, President and A.H. Goss, Cashier. The bank was destroyed by fire on August 13, 1917 and the vault is all that remains. — — Map (db m111241) HM
On Mill Street at Sumpter Highway (Oregon Route 410), on the right when traveling north on Mill Street.
The bustling boom town of Sumpter stretched from here westward to Powder River at the peak of the mining boom.
The mining camp was named for Fort Sumter, South Carolina, by five ex-Confederate soldiers who discovered gold near here in 1862. . . . — — Map (db m112914) HM
Near Austin Street near Mill Street, on the right when traveling south.
As you drove here, you probably saw long rows of rocks all over the valley. These are tailings - topsoil , riverbed rock, and bedrock, left behind by 40 years of dredging.
Because of the dredges' systematic destruction, the original meadow and . . . — — Map (db m111243) HM
The dredge is a huge but simple machine for mining an ancient river bed for gold. It is an expensive, powerful improvement on the shovel and rocker box.
Miners used to call the dredge a "goose"---and for good reason. The dredge is "fed" at the . . . — — Map (db m106890) HM