Gold dredge, Yankee Fork Creek, Idaho 1940

Monner 4895

Gold dredge under construction on Yankee Fork Creek, Idaho

August 12, 1940

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More information about this dredge, from the US Government is at http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sc/yankeefork/pointsofinterest.shtml

Yankee Fork Gold Dredge

In the early 1930's several placer miners joined together to form a company to see if they could get someone interested in dredging their claims on the Yankee Fork. Twenty-nine claims were involved.
During 1938 and 1939, the Silas Mason Co. of Shreveport, Louisiana became interested. When tests indicated approximately $16,000,000 worth of gold was recoverable, they formed a subsidiary, the Snake River Mining Co., to manage the dredging. The Bueyrus-Erie Company was awarded a contract to build the dredge in 1939 and completed it in the fall of 1940. The Olson Manufacturing Company manufactured most of the steel work in Boise, Idaho. The parts were shipped by train to Mackay, then hauled by trucks to Yankee Fork and assembled in 1940.

Location Map of Yankee Fork Gold Dredge

From 1940 until it closed in August of 1952, the dredge dug out rock and recovered gold by washing and separating the rock, dirt and gold. The Snake River Mining Company operated the dredge for several years until it reached a rock dike below Bonanza in 1949. At that time, they sold it to Mr. J.R. Simplot and Mr. Baumhoff who operated the dredge until 1951 when Mr. Simplot purchased his partner's interest. The dredge was then operated until 1952 when it ran out of mining claims on which to work. The dredge has not been operated since 1952, but it remains the largest self-powered dredge ever to operate in Idaho.

The dredge is 112 feet long, 54 feet wide, 64 feet high and weighs 988 tons. It was powered by two 7-cylinder Ingersoll-Rand diesel engines, which produced the electricity that operated the dredge. 72 eight cubic foot buckets dug the gravel ore. The gravel was washed in a trammel about 35 feet long, 7 ½ feet in diameter. The fine material was dispersed into 32 sluice boxes where the gold was collected by the mercury process. This was reportedly a very efficient dredge, taking out about 80% of the gold available.

Mr. J.R. Simplot, the last owner, donated the dredge to the U.S. Forest Service, but there were no funds to develop it as a museum.

In 1979, the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge Association was chartered by former employees and their families. This dedicated, hardworking group of volunteers has restored the dredge and it is open for guided tours.
This fascinating tour is open from Memorial Day 10:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M through Labor Day weekend.
They will even show you how to pan for gold.

Nearby are picnic areas, fishing in the dredge ponds and streams, campgrounds, hiking, wildlife viewing, and the historic town sites of Bonanza and Custer.

The Yankee Fork Gold Dredge is located 13 miles east of Stanley, and 8 miles north of the Sunbeam Dam up the Yankee Fork River.