Snowstorm Gold Dredge

Year Listed:    2001
County:    Park County
Status:    ALERT
Context:    Mining
Date Constructed:    1941

Significance:
Largest and last dragline dredge in Colorado; could be last in nation. Used from 1941 to the 1960s, it completed the work of several hundred men as it dug and processed ore in the gold fields between Fairplay and Alma.

Threat When Listed:
Dismantling and sale for scrap

Since Listing:
Supporters received funding from various sources, and a grant from the Colorado Historical Society’s State Historical Fund to purchase the dredge. Locals have expressed the hope that the dredge remain in its current location. The Trust for Public Land has been brought in to plan a conservation project that would include the Snowstorm landholdings and beyond. The Mosquito Range Initiative would encompass several mining resources in the area, including another listed site, the Paris Mill. Meanwhile, the owners are willing to have a mining liaison incorporate recreational gold mining on part of the property while also rehabilitating the dredge to make it safe enough for conducting public tours.

Last Updated :
July 2008