The Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge, a relic that keeps sparklin' in sunny Sumpter, Oregon, was a gold-plated find in 1913. One of three dredges diggin' holes in the Sumpter Valley district from 1912 to 1934, this mechanical miner needed a hefty gang of 19 to chuck buckets at a whopping 20 per minute. This marathon dredging covered around 8 miles (13 km) and unearthed an estimated fortune of $10 to $12 million. It may have been a glittering trove, but the initial and operating expenses left 'em with emptier pockets. Finally, it called it quits in 1954, carryin' a debt heavier than $100,000 (It raked in a cool $4.5 million throughout its lifetime according to the records.)
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Friendly Jane
Discuss this with the author and others
No comments yet. Be the first to start the conversation.