The proper equipment for harvesting Colorado placer deposits

That's actually one of the dredges form the Alma and Fairplay area. That one was disassembled and shipped to South America where it continues to operate today!! Another is the Snowstorm Dredge which is still in a gravel pit east off of hwy 9 north of Fairplay Colorado. You can see parts of it from the road, sticking up out of the pit. A group of us are trying to rescue it from oblivion and get it moved to a place of honor nearer to town!
 

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SOOOOOOOOOOOOO cool-I always wanted to run one,even have plans for a 34' rig but right now I'd settle for just a lil'mo'water-John
 

That Operator's cab looks more like an Air Traffic Control Tower that can change the positions of the runways just by pulling or pushing a lever!:dontknow:


Frank
 

What we all would give to have a pc of equipment like that!!!! Have piles around Folsom CA from machines like that, most people drive rt buy and never think twice about all the rounded rocks piled up three stories high. Then when you try an explain about the ancient river and the huge dredges they think your high!!
 

Hell, I would just like to follow behind it with my' White's 66-T Goldmaster Metal Detector with it's 24 1/2" coil!


Frank
 

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Thanks for posting those great pics Nobody. I drove through that area
last summer and looked at the piles and thought it had to be a huge piece
of machinery that made them. Colorado is not as well known for it's
bucketline dredges as some other states.
If you ever get to Alaska check out Gold Dredge 8 north of Fairbanks.
The tour is very informative about dredges and the nature of mining
in the frozen north. At the end of the tour you get to spend as much time as
you want at the panning trough. My 6 year old daughter paid for our tour
with the gold she found.
 

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Here's a quick look at the Snowstorm Dredge which is just north of Fairplay CO to this day!



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And this is some of the sluices inside (private tour)...notice the sets of riffle bars all tossed around.
 

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