In 1984, the dredge was opened for tours. But Gold Dredge 8 was one of the few mines that did re-open and ran successfully until it was shut down for economic reasons in 1959. By the time the war ended, the miners that once ran the gold mines were in other professions and their wage levels had increased too high for gold mining to support. After the war was over, very few mines re-opened. In 1942, gold mining suffered a serious setback the War Productions Board issued it’s famous Order L-208 which forced the closure of all gold mines in the United States for the duration of World War II. It is said that dredges and mining saved Fairbanks. Gold Dredge 8 operated between 19 and played an essential role in mining and the economy of the Tanana Valley. Gold Dredge 8 is also a National Engineering Landmark.

Today, Gold Dredge 8 National Historic District serves as a monument to the hard working miners who built Fairbanks. Described as either a floating workhorse or a mechanical gold pan, Gold Dredge 8 extracted millions of ounces of gold from the frozen Alaskan ground.

Gold n sand hand dredge