This past week, our days have unfolded with a comforting regularity. Allen slips into his train engineer overalls and dons his cap, while Terri garbs herself in her cozy flannel shirt and jeans. Together, we embark on our daily journey to the gold mine. Our commute from the western side of Fairbanks to the dredge, nestled northeast of Fairbanks in Fox, Alaska offers us choices. We often favor the scenic route over a hill, which, when the trees' part, rewards us with a breathtaking view of the Alaskan range, weather permitting. Yet, in the early hours, this picturesque drive also presents us with the less enchanting sight of a school bus making its frequent stops. Regardless, the gold mine is a mere 25-minute drive from our home.
Each morning, the work team gathers for a brief huddle. This tradition includes procedural updates, an intriguing tidbit about the mining dredge we can share with our guests, and the latest on gold prices—currently averaging around $2,359 per ounce. With the meeting adjourned, we all hustle to ready the site for the day’s visitors.
Terri’s day begins in the warmth of the kitchen, baking cookies for our guests. The cool mornings make the heat from the ovens a welcome companion. As the aroma of freshly baked cookies fills the air, passersby can’t help but remark, “Mmmm, smells good.” Once the baking is done, Terri transitions to the gift shop and gold panning area, contributing to the finishing touches for the tours ahead.
Allen’s duties start with working with Josh, the lead engineer, and Danny, prepping the train for the passengers. Ensuring it’s clean, charged, and stocked with ample copies of the summer edition of the Gold Dredge 8 newspaper Nugget News, we then depart the main camp and head toward the train station where we will welcome our guests aboard.
Nugget News
Our collective efforts are dedicated to providing a memorable visit to the gold mine for our guests. We take pride in the exceptional customer service that’s become the hallmark of the Gold Dredge 8 destination. It’s gratifying to know that we’re enhancing each visitor’s time in Alaska, just as we cherish our own moments here at Gold Dredge 8. We are excited, and so are they.
We meet folks from all corners of the USA, affectionately referred to as the lower-48 by locals, and occasionally, international travelers (today, folks from Argentina and a former professional hockey player from Switzerland). Most arrive by bus, part of an organized tour. The most common praise we hear is that Gold Dredge 8 offers the “real deal”—an authentic slice of history. And we wholeheartedly concur. The site brims with artifacts, structures, and machinery from the gold-rush days. It’s not hard to imagine we are walking onto the job site the workers left behind just last week. Keep in mind, the dredge produced over 7.5 million ounces of gold when it was in operation.
Former professional Swiss hockey player, Rene Stuessi
An old gold mining sluice box on the property.
A daily highlight is witnessing our guests try their hand at gold panning, often for the first time. Panning is an art that demands patience—not to extract gold from the dirt, but to get the dirt out of the gold. Each guest receives a poke, a bag of paydirt, and we, the “seasoned” miners, guide them through the process. It’s a joy to see their eyes light up as flecks of gold begin to glitter in their pans. Not only do they leave with a tangible piece of Alaska, but they also carry home the bragging rights of having panned genuine gold.
Guest panning for Alaskan gold
The Fairbanks gold rush era saw Alaska’s population swell and then dwindle post-rush. Our tours mirror this ebb and flow. We eagerly anticipate our guests’ arrival at the station, and within a mere ten to fifteen minutes, the site is bustling with 150-200 people eager to visit the gold mine. After stopping at a series of points of interest, we arrive at main camp where the dredge is located. The guests spend their time at the camp panning for gold, weighing their find, walking through the dredge, and touring the museum. After a few hours, they depart. And just as the prospectors of the era left, the guests leave behind a quiet void. In the height of summer, we host up to four or five tours daily.
Standing near the dredge, ready for work (fun).
We are adjusting to Alaska and enjoying our time. There’s so much more to share about our days at the gold mine, but we’ll save those stories for future posts.
On a different note, we’ve secured tickets for a train journey on the Alaskan Railroad from Fairbanks to Denali next week. We’ll arrive in Denali in time for lunch on the 22nd of May and return late afternoon of the 23rd. We’re eager to share this upcoming adventure with all of you.
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