The La Grange area saw four phases of mining: placer, tunneling, hydraulic, and dredging. This bucket, one of a chain of 100, held 12 c.f. and came from one of the world's largest dredges. The Tuolumne Gold Dredging Co. began operating the dredge on June 15, 1938, and continued until 1949, when it was abandoned about 3 miles south of here. Other smaller dredges also operated on this river west of La Grange.