Industry
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After 1920, dredges were brought in to mine gold-bearing deposits in the Fairbanks mining district. This bucket-line or ladder dredge had 68 buckets, each with a capacity of 6 cubit feet. The bucket line was driven by a 150 horsepower motor that enabled excavation to depths of 28 feet. Gold-bearing gravel was sorted and washed on the dredge. Dredging became possible in the 1920's after the United States Melting, Refining and Mining Company (USSR&M) brought water to the area via the 90-mile Davidson Ditch. The dredge was built by Bethlehem Steel's Shipbuilding Division in Pennsylvania and assembled in the Fox area in 1928. It operated each year until 1959.
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Farmers Loop, Alaska · United States
