Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area — Attraction in Sumpter

More than just an interesting trip into some of Sumpter's well known gold mining history. The Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area helps preserve a unique and important part of the town's past and culture. A great opportunity for visitors to discover and learn about gold dredging and a link for families to remember some of their ancestral ties in the Sumpter Valley. There's also a network of nature trails in the area to enjoy. The trails also offer a close view of dredge tailings created by gold dredging and it's influence on the surrounding environment. The dredge and visitor center are closed during winter, but visitors can view the dredge from outside and explore the trails. The dredge and visitor center will open when the Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area opens...

A superb relic of a gold mining time, kept in such good shape that you can even enter inside it. The upper levels are closed to the public due to rotting floor boards, but pictures are available in the small but informative museum. Several short trails surround the dredge and wander through the tailings (rock waste from the dredge). During the summer season you can also pan for gold at gold panning stations set up behind the visitor center/museum (though I believe panning requires an additional fee). This state park closes in the winter (I...

Oregon State Parks acquired the dredge and surrounding property in1996 and are working on restoring the dredge. In 2014 new wooden siding was applied, windows were restored, and it was painted white as it was when built in 1934-35. The dredge and it's surrounding tailings are an important lesson in the destruction...