Walter Johnson: Gold Dredge Pioneer
Allan C. 2014. Walter Johnson: Gold Dredge Pioneer
When prospectors of the Klondike-Alaska Gold Rush recognized the capabilities of dredging equipment, they adopted the technology and brought large industrial-scale machines to the north. In 1910, Walter Johnson established the Union Construction Company, which built placer mining equipment. Mining companies across the globe bought Johnson's drills and dredges, though most made their way to Alaska. Union Construction Company dredges were built to withstand northern conditions, and Johnson personally directed the construction of the machines in Alaska. Later, the company expanded as the Walter W. Johnson Company. Two of Johnson's dredges can still be found at Coal Creek and Woodchopper Creek, originally purchased by Alexander McRae in 1935.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- Allan, Chris
- Date of Issue
- 2014
- Units
- YUCH
- Keywords
- Alexander McRae, bucket-type dredges, Coal Creek, gold dredges, Klondike-Alaska Gold Rush, placer mining, prospecting drills, Union Construction Company, Walter Johnson, Walter W. Johnson Company, Woodchopper Creek, Yukon River, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve