1940's Northern California River Mining- Doodle Bug Dredges, hydraulic mining

How often do you have access to a mining family's home movies showing mining in action?

Here is an extremely rare collection of 8mm film clips from the 1930's and 1940's showing several "Doodle Bug" dredges in operation on the Calaveras and Cosumnes rivers, hydraulic mining in 1947, a child's Erector Set dragline, and panning for gold.

While the term "Doodle Bug Dredge" remains conflicting after many years, the more reasonable explanation is that the floating wash plants would tend to bob up and down in the water as material was loaded and dumped. This trait can be plainly seen later in my video when the Wolin dredge discharge belt is seen in closeup.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• gold
• prospecting
• dredging
• historical
• River Mining
• gold panning
• dredges
• hydraulic mine
• Cosumnes
• Calaveras
• Northern California
• sniping
• Jenny Lind
• Mining
• kayak
• Water
• County

[riverbender]

Thanks for the fascinating and rare look into vintage placer mining.

Heavy Pans!!

[GoldenGooseBC]

Absolutely fantastic footage, thank you so much for putting it together from the original stock and sharing.

[kerbyjackson]

Thanks for sharing. Films of draglines and hydraulic operations are very rare.

[Smithsgold]

Thanks for sharing !!!!

[MrPucky8]

Thank you! That was wonderful

[alizaderic]

Wonderful video. Thank you mucho. A placer miner, a Goldhound.