![]() Aside from the winchman, there were two other men – a head oiler to keep large gears running smoothly, and a stern oiler up in the stack where the tailings (rocks & small boulders) were ejected out the back of the dredge. When the dredge was operated, there were actually only three men on board who operated the large dredge. It was incredible to look out over the bucket ladder and the front of the dredge. We got to go carefully upstairs into the bridge where the dredge was navigated by the winchman using levers connected to large cables, which were in turn connected to “deadmen” (usually large logs, buried in the land). Since we are “insiders”, our rangers let us into areas of the dredge that are not currently open to the public, due to safety issues. Aside from the guided tours, visitors can do a self-guided tour, reading story boards along the way. We have been reading, and following both Ranger Garrett (ranger & park manager) and Assistant Ranger Rella (seasonal) as they give tours – about 4 each day on the weekends. I’ve learned that once one gets the basics down, it’s almost impossible to do it wrong, making me look like I know more than I actually do.Įventually, we have the opportunity to lead some of the guided dredge tours. Since we have only just learned ourselves, it is very fun visiting with visitors who are already well versed in panning technique, as well as those who just want to give it a try. ![]() A bit of fool’s gold can also be taken for comparison. ![]() After learning to pan and finding some gold, visitors can keep a small sample for $2 – 3 flakes of gold, and two garnets. They’ve also thrown in some red garnets for fun. We hope to get a ride on it while we are in the area!Īs interpretive/maintenance hosts at Sumpter Valley Dredge, we are teaching gold panning lessons to children and adults at four panning stations that have been built and salted with real flakes of gold so visitors can actually see the difference between true gold flakes and iron pyrite, or fool’s gold. The park is visited on weekends and holidays by the Sumpter Valley Steam Railway, which brings passengers from McEwen to the train depot inside Sumpter Valley Dredge State Park, adding to the charm of the park. ![]() ![]() The Sumpter Valley Steam Railway operates on weekends, bringing visitors to the train depot here in the park. ![]()
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