Yankee Fork Gold Dredge

   Gold dredges create a small lake as they move along streams scoping up the rocks and gravel from the stream bed. The smaller stuff is ground up to extract gold while the larger rocks are deposited in heaps behind the dredge. It’s an extremely destructive process and the ecological damage is visible everywhere that dredges were used. Transporting dredges to the backcountry was expensive and time consuming so they were often left in place after they were no longer need.

   Yankee Fork dredge was used from 1940 to 1952 and extracted only a million dollars of gold, far less than the 11 million dollars estimate to be in the stream bed in 1940. The forge has been refurbished and is opened to tour.

  The main entrance to the dredge is not accessible but a path and ramp provide access to the gift shop. It’s possible to tour that floor. The remaining  three more floors have steps and are not accessible. No discount provided to wheelchair visitors so we skipped the tour.

  The dredge is about 9 miles north of Hwy 75. The first 3 miles are paved, the next six are gravel with some washboard. The parking lot is large enough for any RV. Dredge   44.37707, -114.72279