CITY OF OROVILLE

1735 MONTGOMERY STREET ● OROVILLE, CA 95965-4897

530-538-2518

Fax 530-538-2468

OROVILLE CA – February 2, 2012 – On Tuesday, Oroville reclaimed another piece of history with the return of one of the Hammon Dredger Buckets to the landscaped area adjacent to the Montgomery Street – Highway 70 off ramp.  The bucket was made available through a generous donation of the Wendell Hammon Family. 

            Oroville, particularly adjacent to the Feather River, was an area that had large dredging operations that resulted in the massive piles of river rock that we still see today in Riverbend Park, Bedrock Park and along Feather River Blvd.  The historical significance of the dredging operation is that it was for locating gold-rich placer deposits below Oroville.

            History records that it wasn’t soon that the dredgers were dwarfed by the large deposits of rock debris that was left behind.  The dredgers were able to scoop 75 feet below the surface where the heaviest deposits of gold lay hidden.  Gold dredging operations stopped shortly after WW II; however the enormous piles of rock debris were later used to build the Oroville Dam which is the highest and widest dam in the United States. 

            The donation of the dredger bucket, coordinated by City Councilmember’s David Pittman and Gordon Andoe, adds a finishing touch to one of the City of Oroville’s MIDAS program projects.    Future plans calls for another interesting historical item to be placed near the on ramp landscape area across from the dredger bucket.  

            The historic bucket rests on a permanent steel platform fabricated by Metal Works and was lowered into place by Martin Crane & Rigging Company both of Oroville.  Pictures of the bucket and its placement can be viewed by visiting the City’s website:  www.cityoforoville.org.