Yankee Fork Gold Dredge In Idaho

Yankee Fork Gold Dredge is one of the best preserved gold dredges in the United States. This gold dredge is located in the central mountains of Idaho on the Yankee Fork River, a tributary of the beautiful Salmon River. The nearest town is Stanley which is 22-miles south.

Like many states in the west, it was the discovery of gold that brought the first permanent white settlers to Idaho. The first gold strike happened at Pierce in 1860. Prospectors then began exploring deeper into the wilds of Idaho and many new gold strikes followed.

It was 1876 when gold was discovered at the General Custer Mine, the mother lode of the Yankee Fork. After gold was discovered in the area, two mining towns were established here; Bonanza and Custer.

Custer, which is located 1.5 miles from the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge, is one of the most popular ghost towns in Idaho to visit on a road trip. This abandoned mining town listed on the National Register of Historic Places is a destination that should be on your Idaho bucket list. Be sure to visit the well-preserved Custer Ghost Town after visiting the gold dredge.

History of Yankee Fork Gold Dredge

In 1939, the Silas Mason Company from New York was looking for a place to invest money. After surveying different places they chose the Yankee Fork Valley as a place to dredge for gold. It was estimated that there was eleven million dollars of gold in their five and a half mile claim.

They contracted Bucyrus Erie to build the dredge. All of the materials came from Milwaukee by railway to the town of Mackay which was then loaded onto trucks and delivered to the construction site. Construction began on the 1st of April 1940 and completed on the 24th of August 1940.

Yankee Fork Gold Dredge was in operation from 1940 to 1952 stopping only twice from October of 1942 until 1946 due to World War II, and then again in 1947 when Snake River Mining Company decided they were not making enough money.

The dredge was put up for sale, and was sold for $75,000 to J.R. Simplot and his partner Fred Baumhoff who started operating the dredge again in April of 1950. In 1952, Simplot ran out of original claim so leased a small section from the Morrisons. When they completed that section too, they shut the dredge off and walked away.

Later in 1953, Morrison asked the men to remove the dredge or pay rent as the dredge still sat on his property, so Simplot’s men started it up and dug themselves to the current position where it has sat ever since. 

From 1953 until 1966, the dredge sat, lonely and abandoned. Passing vandals removed any loose objects aboard and broke all intact windows. One enterprising thief removed all of the copper control lines, presumably to sell. But why anyone would remove the side cables to the stacker still remains a mystery.

At one point, a mistaken report circulated that a large quantity of drugs were hidden aboard the dredge so the foot traffic aboard grew to epic proportions.

Fortunately in 1966, J.R. Simplot donated the gold dredge to the U.S. Forest Service who made the necessary repairs to save the dredge from deterioration. However, the Forest Service did not have the manpower or funds to open the dredge to the public.

Thankfully in 1980, the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge Association was formed and they began providing tours of the dredge to the public. The association is run by a group of volunteers. Their mission is to preserve the gold dredge and promote interest in the history of the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge and Yankee Fork region. You can read their full story here.

Specifications of the gold dredge

Yankee Fork Gold Dredge was built for Snake River Mining Company, a subsidiary of Silas Mason Company in New York. Construction began on April 1st 1940 and the build was completed on August 24th 1940.

The dredge weighs 988 tons, and is 112 feet long, 54 feet wide, and 64 feet high. It has 71 cubic foot buckets and each one weighs just over a ton. Two Ingersoll-Rand diesel engines that produce 350 horsepower powered the dredge.

Tours of the gold dredge

The Yankee Fork Gold Dredge Association provides tours of the gold dredge. Tours are self guided and visitors can explore the dredge as long as they like. Staff will be nearby to answer questions.

You’ll begin on the front deck of the gold dredge and then walk into the “winch room”. Then you will proceed upstairs to the control room which is four stories high. Next visit the “rock ejector” before descending down to the “stern oiler position.” The tour ends on the main deck where there you can see the “gold collection station” and two huge diesel engines.

At the end of the tour, you can browse through a gallery which has photos of the dredge being built, used, and of the restoration process. There is a small gift shop at the entrance to the gold dredge with souvineers.

Tours run daily from 10am to 4.30pm. Cost of admission is $5 for adults and $1 for children aged 6-12 years.

Where Is Yankee Fork Gold Dredge?

Yankee Fork Gold Dredge is situated inside Land of the Yankee Fork State Park. To get there from Stanley, travel north on Highway 75 until you reach Sunbeam, then take a left at Yankee Fork Road and drive for eight miles along a dirt road. The dredge is on the left side of the road. You won’t miss it!

Mileage from some key destinations:
Boise to the dredge = 155 miles
Ketchum to the dredge = 83 miles
Stanley to the dredge = 22 miles
Salmon to the dredge = 111 miles

Places To Visit Near Yankee Fork Gold Dredge

• Custer Ghost Town: A ghost town near Stanley, Idaho.
• Bayhorse Ghost Town: A ghost town in central Idaho.
• Boat Box Hot Springs: A hot spring on Highway 75.
• Stanley: A western town at the foothills of the Sawtooth Mountains.

Where To Stay Near Yankee Fork Gold Dredge

There is abundant camping near the gold dredge. Along Yankee Fork Road are several campgrounds located just beyond Custer which include Custer #1 Campground, Greylock Campground, and Eightmile Campground.

On Highway 75, there are multiple campgrounds nearby such as Upper O’Brien Campground, Casino Creek Campground, Mormon Bend Campground, Salmon River Campground, and the Sawmill Station RV Park.

If you prefer hotel accommodation, the closest is Torrey’s Burnt Creek Inn. Otherwise you’ll have to look for hotels in Stanley. The best place to stay in Stanley is Mountain Village Lodge.

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