Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge Yuba-Style Gold Dredges were mechanized placer mines, and floated in a pond of their own making. Three Gold Dredges operated in the Sumpter Valley from 1914 until 1954 learn more They weren't the only big machines in town..... The Monighan once worked the Sumpter area too...it did it's share of gold mining as well, and was called in to assist the Dredge from time to time. The Monighan now sits at the Cracker Creek Museum of Mining at the south end of town. The Monighan came to Sumpter in 1940. This 12 ton monster was used to dredge dry land on a large scale in the valley. learn more To learn more about our historic gold mining town, visit the Sumpter Museum.

The Sumpter Gold Rush "Ghosts and Gold in Eastern Oregon" According to legend......Gold was first discovered in the Sumpter area by a group of men in 1862, who then named their new town after historic Ft. Sumter in South Carolina. Some believe they just forgot the "p." The name was later changed by the U.S. Postal Service. Legend says that the U.S. Postmaster ordered the spelling changed because of the Civil War Reference to the real Ft. Sumter.....Regardless of how it was spelled, Sumpter was booming by the late 1890's.....growing to about 3000. Of course the U.S. Census Bureau wasn't counting Chinese, or Women and Children at that time so that number could easily have been doubled! Sumpter was a town to rival most around the State with wooden streets, a couple of banks, an opera house, several saloons, four churches, even an optometrist's wheel for making eye glasses! Gold Mining still continues in the Sumpter area with private Placer and Hard Rock Mines peppering the Elkhorn mountains. State Park Rangers give free gold panning lessons every weekend at the Sumpter Valley Dredge and you can even keep the gold you find (for a small fee) According to folks at theU.S. Geological Survey, we have at least 80% of original gold still in the mountains of the area. If you do decide to dip your gold pan in the river, just be mindful of existing mining claims and private property. Check out Gold Mining displays at the Sumpter Municipal Museum Visit our friends at the www.goldminerscorner.com Looking to buy a Gold Mine or just have some questions about Gold Mining in Sumpter, Oregon? Visit our friends up at www.boulderpatchmines.com Ask for Diggerdan!