The Yankee Fork, A Tale of Tailings

[@scottkidwell3601]

My grandfather worked for the Yankee Fork dredge company as a heavy equipment operator. Building roads, helping the dredge move through the valley. I went with him one summer in the mid-80s to camp nearby and be a tour guide. Quite the summer, lots of stories from the old-timers, and a lot of history. Also a lot of destruction to witness.

[@JoAnneBusch-qh2rd]

I have watched this story , it is a real asset and valuable for now and future generations. However, I did not see any information on the former employees who in 1980 formed an Association and that summer began t he huge work of cleaning out and repairing thirty years of neglect and vandalism. These were men in their sixties and much older spending summers there and sometimes using their money for supplies. It was some time before tours could begin and bring in some money. The Forest Service was also involved. It was one of the high lights of my life to share in the making of this story, Thank you Jo Anne Browning Busch

[@kenfarmer3266]

First time I saw the dredge was 1958 I was 7 years old, been going there for along time. Beautiful country, love the history.

[@Npol777-e5q]

Good progress thanks 🙏🇺🇸

[@samhouston1673]

Wonderful documentary that looks at all perspectives, instead of just being a jaded assault. Awesome work by our Native Brothers and Sisters in returning their Land back to its natural existence. Bravo to keeping some of the mining history for the prosperity of all. We can only learn from the past when we are able to understand the past. My only critic on the documentary is there was no explanation as to how that dredge barge got there and why it was not removed.

[@wesalbright9817]

I spent the summer of 1988 giving tours on the gold dredge with about half a dozen former employees of the dredge the dredge was trucked in piece by piece and built on-site starting in April of 1940

[@buffalokrisgoldprospecting]

It's not the gold mining killing the salmon. It's all the damns built.

[@donfortner4896]

Save the history and restore by all means.....When something is gone ...it is gone forever...

[@davidleadford6511]

I resent what the dredge did. It devastated that stretch of river.

[@chrisbevan6390]

makes you wonder if the wealth dug out would have been worth it if the dredge/mine owners had to make good ie if the rivers holes shafts adits were corrected minus the gold tin copper clay lead coal etc i am in cornwall uk in clay country

[@godwell2513]

Damn this is an interesting documentary

[@steeldriver1776]

Imagine the work conditions back then, and also wearing a starch shirt with tie on top of that. 😢

[@jeremycanterohioprospecting]

It'll only be a matter of time and Tony beats will have that dredge on his fleet 😂

[@LibertyLensOfficial]

was thinking the same thing Jeremy

[@pcaetano7527]

go look at Snelling, CA ... with google maps satellite.

[@williamlloyd3769]

Shocked 79 years later the riverbed area is still so disturbed. You’d think area would have at least partially recovered by now, glad steps are being taken to restore environment. Hope fish stocks recover

[@steeldriver1776]

They made it a heritage preserve and profit from the story. There’s no initiative to clean it up.

[@georgenourse2328]

The river looked good to me the water was clean and clear. The pile of rocks left behind are not causing any damage to the river in fact the rocks will produce far less erosion and sediment into the river than top soil would. They could bulldoze the rock flat and put some top soil over it and regrow trees but I don't see how it would improve the river.

[@CowGirlKat8691]

Took hubby here when we was still dating. 20 some years later & we're ready to go back to Idaho my IdaHome!

[@johnhatch4428]

Mining did not hurt the salmon

[@chazzface8562]

Put the gravels back where they were and put some meanders in the stream. Problem solved, restore back to its original. just sick of people complaining about these things and taxing the crap out of people but nothing gets done to fix the real problems. If money is the problem hire a mining company to run the tailings again and restore the gravels back to original state or close to it. Boom done.

[@TheCiaMKultra]

Cutting edge machinery

[@deanQ3805]

What about the gold mine just over the hill from there with the cyanide leach pond

[@darthvader6533]

Actually just inspected the fire extinguishers there. Its a pretty cool place. Helca made some bad financial decisions and killed the mine. Nothing is still mined there. The pond is a collection for the water that flows from the mountain. The rocks in the area continue to leach into the water, lowering the pH and creating a mild acid. Theres a dedicated team of 3 guys who run a water purification plant to raise the PH before its dumped in the river. Helca will run that operation will run beyond our natural lives in order to protect the river.

[@deanQ3805]

@@darthvader6533 it's beautiful up there for sure. I haven't been to Idaho since 2019 after my Dad passed away but that year I went up to Sumpter and Silver City with my friend from Homedale

[@darthvader6533]

@@deanQ3805 Indeed! Ah im sorry to hear that brother. Beautiful country indeed. Born and raised here and i wouldnt have it any other way

[@deanQ3805]

@@darthvader6533 Thank You. I'm from SW Louisiana but I lived south of Homedale for 13 years. I try to get up there every few years to see my son's grave in the Homedale Marsing cemetery and visit friends but it's been a little rough the last few years. My son Jeffrey would have been 37 this past April

[@rickthompson2312]

They talked about that gold mining like it's a big mistake . It wasn't a big mistake there is fish in the river and they will return the biggest problem is the dams and the fish hatcheries that's a big mistake explanation point there's very little Damage Done by gold mining on these Rivers

[@kerry4660]

doesn't look in that bad of shape compared to the one Tony beet bought.. look at all those tialings. bet there is gold in there..

[@davewallace718]

In reality dredging opperations do less damage to the rivers and landscape then nature itself. Fish runs are down for sure but to blame dredging alone is a mistake. Many other factors play into declining salmon runs, over fishing being at the top. Look into it for yourself. Also look at the devistation that nature does after a natural disaster and how the land repairs itself. People today should be more concerned about human population growth and the effects that has on the land. Good mining now or then is a drop in the ocean compared to that

[@davewallace718]

Gold mining*

[@7chillywilly7]

@@davewallace718 No mention of all the dams located down river

[@PhaseSkater]

climate change hurts salmon runs more than anything right now. salmon dont like hot water

[@gl2250]

Miners built the west, but at a price

[@queencoins9913]

That my claim

[@hieronymusbosch693]

Duh...can anyone say...Grand Canyon...this has all been done before.

[@johnfraser6196]

If you want to see a REAL DREDGE,this is the Grey River dredge in New Zealand,this is what you call a REAL DREDGE not a old toy kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHm8e4Jof8uGpbcsi=Gi-zY4beCp4oXfWF

[@publicwatchdog2489]

😭 baby

[@PCMenten]

My preference is to completely restore the land.

[@NwoDispatcher]

Go hug a tree

[@ginaturnabul1947]

salmon was plentiful UNTIL YOU freaking dredge the RIVER!!! #tonybeets destroyed INDIAN CREEK with his dredge and destroying the river #alaska #boycot

[@leecoleman822]

LIO .amen 🇺🇸