I'd always wondered about the La Grange Dredge. SO I took my brave student teacher with me in early January to check out the monstrous remains of an amazing piece of gold recovery technology.
1 "Behind this monument rests the historic Tuolumne Gold Dredge, whihc started operation at Patricksville, just east of this location, on June 15, 1938. A Walter Johnson NO. 52 Model, it floated on a self-created pond of water. It was larger than a football field, weighed over 2500 tons and cost $543,148 to construct. The Dredge used electricity to drive 120 4000lb buckets 70ft deep to recover gold. It ceased operation in July 1951. The total amount of gold recovered is unknown."
2 Back end of the dredge. Missing its tailings belt.