Pump House Fence Through the Seasons

In June I posted photos of the fence at the Pump House Restaurant, made from the old pipe used to pump water from the river to gold dredges.  Click HERE to see that post and find out more about that.  I took those photos on June 3rd, and they are in the collage below.  That was at the tail end of springtime here.

On to summertime on July 3rd.

The collage below shows shadows of the fence.  The upper photo and the one on the lower left hand side were taken on July 3rd.  The one on the lower right was taken on June 3rd.  Notice the difference in the water level of the river.  We have had a summer with record breaking rainfalls and the river has been at or near flood stage all summer.


The next photo was taken September 23, 2012, of the side of the fence nearest the river, and shows the giant in the foreground.  Click HERE for the June 3rd post that includes an explanation of how the giant was used.  

The scene is a bit different in the winter.  These photos were taken on December 31, 2012, at 11:30 a.m.  Yes, that glow on the trees is still from the sunrise, which would have been about 10:45 a.m.  Those summertime photos were taken around 9:30 p.m.

I am linking up with Theresa's Good Fences

at the Run "A" Round Ranch Report.

Gold Mining Remnants

Just a few minutes from our house is the Pump House Restaurant.  Their walkway along the river is lined by an  unusual fence.  It is constructed from pipe that was used to carry water from the river across the nearby hills to use for gold mining operations.

In the early '30s the F.E. Company built a pump house housing 10 huge pumps and generators that piped water from the Chena River across the hills to a gold dredge at Cripple Creek.  Each pump could pump 6,000 gallons of water a minute.  The water was used for stripping and thawing the overburden at the mining sites, as well as for the dredge ponds.  It operated form 1933 until the early '60s.  

In 1978 the building was converted to the restaurant, and they have decorated it to recreate the gold rush atmosphere, including many antiques and relics from the past.

Once the water reached the mining site, hydraulic "giants" were used to aim the water at the overburden.  In the summer the giant below is hooked up to a hose and shoots water towards the river.

On a warm summer day the deck at the Pump House is a lovely place to enjoy a meal and perhaps let your mind drift back to the days when the search for gold consumed so many.  Fairbanks owes its existence to the gold rush and all those who endured tremendous hardships in the hopes of striking it rich.  Sadly very few did.  Although the hardships aren't as great, there is still a lot of gold mining going on in the area, from small family mining operations to  huge mining companies.  Sitting on the deck or inside in the saloon or dining room enjoying a good meal is as close as I want to come to mining for gold!

I am linking up with Good Fences

 at the Run "A" Round Ranch Report.