Yankee Fork Gold Dredge in Bonanza, Idaho
HOW THE YANKEE FORK GOLD DREDGE WORKS
Small particles of gold and silver from naturally disintegrated ore is scooped up by the bucketline at the front of the dredge and are carried to the upper hopper where they are washed into an inclined rotating cylindrical screen having 5/8" holes. Rocks larger than 5/8" work their way to the lower end of the screen and fall onto a stacker belt which dumps them far behind the dredge. The material that passes through the holes in the screen falls into sluice boxes. Since gold is sixteen times as heavy as gravel, water washes the gravel overboard leaving the gold behind, lodged in the cleats in the bottom of the sluice boxes.
The Yankee Fork Gold Dredge worked until the 1950s. It ran on diesel fuel when diesel was only a few cents a gallon. It is no longer operational, but it is open to the public and a guided tour is available.
Yankee Fork Gold Dredge in Bonanza, Idaho
HOW THE YANKEE FORK GOLD DREDGE WORKS
Small particles of gold and silver from naturally disintegrated ore is scooped up by the bucketline at the front of the dredge and are carried to the upper hopper where they are washed into an inclined rotating cylindrical screen having 5/8" holes. Rocks larger than 5/8" work their way to the lower end of the screen and fall onto a stacker belt which dumps them far behind the dredge. The material that passes through the holes in the screen falls into sluice boxes. Since gold is sixteen times as heavy as gravel, water washes the gravel overboard leaving the gold behind, lodged in the cleats in the bottom of the sluice boxes.
The Yankee Fork Gold Dredge worked until the 1950s. It ran on diesel fuel when diesel was only a few cents a gallon. It is no longer operational, but it is open to the public and a guided tour is available.