Gold dredges abandoned in Alaska

After the gold rushes waned, the more organized and mechanical extraction of gold began in Alaska. The most common device used on gold-producing streams in Alaska during the first half of the 20th century was a dredge, basically a huge metal barge that floated it's way down stream by digging holes in front of itself big enough to float it in. The rock from this digging was processed on board, the gold extracted, and the leftover tailings spit out the back. Streams that were dredged nearly a hundred years ago are easily recognized by the ridges of tailings, generally supporting little if any vegetation, alongside a creek bank.

When the gold ran out, many of these dredges were abandoned in place; it was often deemed cheper than dismantling and moving the dredge to another stream. A few miles north of Fairbanks, Gold Dredge #8 has been restored and is a tourist attraction. The dredge pictured here, known as the Jack Wade Dredge, sits alongside the Taylor Highway a few miles north of Chicken. While it is fenced and you cannot go aboard to explore, you can walk around three sides of it and peer inside. The creek is on the fourth side, and the tailings along the creek bank stretch out behind the dredge.