Stone Expedition, 1938--Stanton Dredge P.1

Stanton's dredge near the mouth of Bullfrog Creek in Glen Canyon. Decaying remnants of the gold rush on the Colorado and San Juan rivers still can be found up and down the banks or in the muddy waters of the rivers. Probably the most stupendous undertaking was the Stanton dredge. This colossus weighed 180 tons, was equipped with 82 buckets, five gasoline engines, and 82 tables for recovering gold. The dredge cost $100,000 to build and was sold in 1901 after only nine months of operation for $1,100. Although sporadic attempts to recover gold in Glen Canyon continued through the depression years of the 1930's, the high cliffs and deep canyons of this nearly impassable region discouraged any wholesale attempt. However, the rusted relics of a day when a thousand miners flocked to this canyon country still remain. Among them are such monuments as the hulks of the steamship Charles H. Spencer and the Stanton dredge. Donor and Photographer: Charles Kelly.