The enormous, awkward-appearing gold dredge was operated in the
Goldstream Valley starting in 1928 and extracted 7.5 million ounces of gold before being
shut down in 1959.
Fairbanksan John Reeves and his wife bought the five-deck, 250-foot
long dredge, located in the Goldstream
Valley, at Mile 9 on the Old Steese Highway, 16 years ago and created a tourist attraction, complete with museum tours,
gold panning, a snack bar, gift shop and banquet hall. The surrounding grounds include
authentic support buildings like bunk houses, parts buildings and warehouses.
Gray Line of Alaska,
formerly Holland
America Line-Westours, bought Gold Dredge No. 8 in the fall of 1996 and renovated the
facility at a cost of around $700,000.
Cosmetic improvements for the dredge included a paint job and new glass windows. A
second entrance and deck were added to the dredge, supplying better access. Old bunk
houses and a bath house were moved from a former mine site, as were a parts building and
warehouse from the old F.E. Gold Company camp
in downtown Fairbanks. A historic rail car was also bought from the
Alaska Railroad and added to the site.
The site was listed as a National Historic Site in 1984 and in 1986 was designated
a National Historical Mechanical Engineering Landmark.
Dredge tours are $25.00 per adult, which includes a 20-minute audiovisual
presentation of Fairbanks area gold mining operations; a guided tour of the dredge; a tour
of dredge supply buildings full of machinery, equipment, and mining discoveries; a bunk
house tour, and a gift shop visit.
A "Miners' Buffet" lunch is available for $9.75. This lunch includes all you can eat of family style beef stew with biscuits, and blueberry crumb cake for desert.
There is also a display of prehistoric bones, including a 9 1/2-foot tusk, a
matched pair of 5-foot tusks, mammoth teeth, bison heads and other artifacts. Also
included is a chance to sift through dirt and water, looking for real gold. The management
guarantees gold for everyone, the amount being based on one's ability at panning.
Gold Dredge
No. 8 tours are offered hourly starting at 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Evening
services are available upon request. The
restaurant opens at mid day, but a light service of cookies, pastries and
coffee is available all day long. The banquet hall usually stays open all
summer for special events. We believe the site is open until 6
p.m.
For more information or reservations, call Gray Line of Alaska at (800)
544-2206 or visit their
website.
