Bucket Line Dredges
Gold dredging turned the Trinity River upside down for over 50 years, leaving behind mounds of rock tailings. The first operation, in 1889, was the Kise Bros. Dredge. The Carrville Dredge, at this site was the last dredge operating for a few years before and after World War II, then sat idle until shipped to Brazil in 1965. The Valdor Dredge mined the Trinity River between the old Junction City Powerhouse and Lime Point until dismantled in 1922; it was reassembled as the Lewiston Dredge near Eastman Gulch. The Pacific Dredge failed at Coffee Creek, then was moved south to the Graves Ranch at Stringtown. The world’s largest wood hull dredge was the Estabrook, located near Trinity Center, excavating more than 250,000 tons per month. The Trinity Dredge, operated by Mary E. Smith, was the richest, dredging over $2,700,000 in gold from areas now covered by Lewiston Lake. The Junction City (Yuba) was dismantled and rebuilt as the Fairview at Minersville, in 1949, but failed to float and remains at the bottom of Trinity Lake. Other dredges including the Madrona, Galvin, Poker Bar, Gardella, Gold Bar, and Alta Bert #1 and #2.
Marker is at the intersection of California Route 3 and East Side Road, on the left when traveling north on State Route 3.
Courtesy hmdb.org
