sumpter valley dredge

103karenn

It was a fun thing to learn about. My husband and I toured the inside. It was very interesting to see how this machine worked.

karenm559

The dredge tour (free) is the best attraction at this site, especially if you are engineer-minded. You can also pan for gold (no charge) and ride the historic steam train (fee attraction). We bought a picnic lunch on the way and sat under the trees. Good way to take a trip back in time and see Sumpter as it might have (kinda) been during gold rush days. The town's not thriving, but there are some markets, etc. September seems to be a quiet time; things pick up during hunting and snowmobile seasons.

O5551DMdavidh

Visiting the Sumpter Valley Dredge was very interesting . The Dredge is massive with 72 , (1 ton buckets) to dredge for gold in late 1800's , early 1900's. They are in process of restoring the Dredge, you can go through the lower portion only at this time. Lot of history in the area. The Sumpter Vallet Train ride, drops you off across the street from the Dredge.

Signin45

Catch a ranger 30 minute tour for a trip back in history to one of the few very large gold mining dredges left in existence. There is also a self guided tour in addition to a small museum adjacent to the dredge.

SteveS849

This is the second time I have stopped at this historical gem. There are still many old standing buildings in this town. As many Wild West towns, most of it burnt down. There is a outdoor mining museum off the main drag. The dredge and the massive tailing piles it left are impressive. They have a gift shop by the dredge that has gold panning and interesting local books. There is a short railroad that runs through the local area. If Your lucky, they have reenactments of a Wild West train robbery & shoot out. There is also a R & R museum on hwy 7 just East of Sumpter. And a lumber ghost town on hwy 7 West of Sumpter. It was a logging town. There are a dozen buildings in various states of disrepair. There are still a couple of residents in the town. It can be seen immediately to the South of hwy 7.

bendwriter

This massive dredge is a fascinating piece of history from a couple of different perspectives. If you love old machinery, like I do, this is something that will absolutely captivate you. Everything about it is simply huge, and it's fun to wander around it and imagine exactly what everything did and how it worked. A lot of the inside is closed off, however, and I really wish there was an opportunity to see more. I would gladly have paid a few bucks for a guided tour. Then there's the ecological perspective, about how this machine tore up the surrounding landscape, and changed the look of the entire region.An interesting stop if you're in the area. Hopefully more of it will be open to tour sometime in the future.

Iyamapirate

The Dredge itself is fascinating but with limited inside access. The Park Ranger really knew her stuff. Well maintained walking paths throughout the park. An interesting and informative look into the past.

Rick3015

Went to Sumpter for a few days of riding ATVs. Had never been there before and was a surprise to find the dredge there. I had seen a couple of other dredges in Idaho, but never one of this size and in this good of shape. There was no fee when I was there, only a donation box. You can walk around the lower floor in the dredge, there is a walking path around it and there are other walking paths into the surrounding area with interperative signs. The dredge is floating in its own pond. The visitors center has the usual tourist merchandise along with photo albums and a video of the dredge's history. The gravel parking lot is large enough for RVs. I enjoyed the visit.

Doug-n-Barbara

The town of Sumpter Oregon west of Baker City is a historic mining town. There is an old gold mining dredge you can tour for a small fee that will blow you away thinking about the history of it all. For that fee you can also learn to pan for gold and garnet. There are some good eateries in Sumpter and very nice shops. They have a train ride you can take on the old railway for a minor cost. There are other ghost towns around the area so check those out as well. We can't speak to accommodations as we stayed at an RV park in Baker City. If you're in the area it's a must see and Phillips Lake is good fishing so bring your poles. Take the old Sumpter highway (7) west from Baker City.

DiabloDeb

I had planned a driving vacation that extended into Oregon, I love old ghost towns and was checking to see what they had and came across this town, Sumpter and saw this dredge, never seen one at any of the other old gold mining towns we had visited in the past.It is a very large dredge that you can walk inside and on the deck. They also offer tours which are very informative and the tour guide can answer just about any question you have. There is no restroom but there is a portable in the parking lot and they have a small gift shop.

eva1500

kleiner souvenir shop mit film vorführung und alte bilder.draussen kann man die stillgelegte goldwaschanlage besichtigen. die war damals 24 stunden, 7 tage die woche in betrieb und hat im grossen stil gold gefördert.interessant, wie das funktionierte. der ort sumpter selbst ist nett - ganz im alten western stil gebaut/ erhalten.