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Video - 1949 Alaska Gold Mining & Bucketline Dredges In Action


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From the 1981 KUAC copyright on the YouTube page and the deduced price of gold at the time of narration ($500,000/1000toz) which is consistent with 1981 values, I conclude that the soundtrack was added that year.  Does anyone know the last 36 year history of that dredge?  It looks to be in pretty good shape sitting idle in 1981, at least compared to the two bought by Tony Beets on Discorvery Channel's Gold Rush show.  I think he paid ballpark $1M each for those.  They are located in the Canadian Yukon.

Interesting & informative video.  I kept wondering how often those laborers suffered injuries -- not exactly OSHA approved conditions by today's standards.  But just part of the risk to make a living in Fairbanks area in 1949, I'm sure.  Good stuff.

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19 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

Does anyone know the last 36 year history of that dredge?

Trying to answer my own question.  Is this it?  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._E._Company_Dredge_No._4

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No, the Pedro Dredge is now in Chicken.

There are a number of bucket line dredges around Fairbanks. 

I assume the dredge in the video is dredge No. 8. The video mentions Ester however so it could be No. 10 also. The Fairbanks Exploration Co.’s Gold Dredge No. 8 at Fox is perhaps the most visible and well-known dredge in the Fairbanks area, but the FE Co. actually operated eight of these giants near town. No. 3 which was at Chatanika, was reported burned in 2013. Yet these pictures Show it in 2016?

Several others exist/existed. No. 2 on Fairbanks Creek, No. 5 at Dome Creek, No. 6 on Sheep Creek and No. 10 at Cripple Creek. Dredge No. 4 (operated on Pedro Creek) was dismantled in 1959 and moved to Chicken, and No. 7 at Fish Creek was demolished when Fort Knox gold mine was developed.

Alaska Gold Dredging a history by Clark C. Spence

Gold Dredge Number 8 National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark

Alaska Digital Archive Historic photos of gold dredges

They now run tours on Gold Dredge No. 8 http://golddredge8.com/

2013 video....

 

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Great video.  I had been to most of the dredges around Fairbanks.  At Dredge #8 they talk about the process but it's pretty cool to see it on the video.

I am moving back to Fairbanks this summer.  I love it there, can't wait. 

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Here's the full story about the fire that destroyed the Chatanika (FE #3) dredge:

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/piece-fairbanks-history-preserved-time-goes-smoke/2014/02/10/

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