A history paved in gold comes to life in Yuba City. Ted Chastain, a 94-year-old resident, invited us on a tour of a unique site that played a pivotal role in both his life and the region’s development—the historic gold dredge.
One of the last remaining of its kind, the dredge sits on a gravel site about seven miles east of Marysville. Without it, the very landscape of the area might look vastly different today.
A gold dredge is a specialized piece of machinery originally designed for extracting gold. However, beyond its primary function, it left behind valuable granular materials that were later repurposed for construction and other industries.
“Very few people living here today have ever heard of a gold dredger. It’s right in their backyard, yet no one knows about it,” says Ted Chastain, a longtime resident of the Yuba-Sutter region.
Over breakfast, Chastain shared memories of working on a gold dredge in the Marysville area during the 1950s. He then took us on a tour of the Tiechert Aggregates site, a location deeply intertwined with this industrial heritage. He speculates that he may be the last living person able to recount these events firsthand.
Chastain is determined to preserve the history of gold dredges.
“History fascinates most people, but this particular chapter is on the verge of being lost,” he emphasizes.
He explains that in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, gold dredges were the economic backbone of the region.
“During the Great Depression of the 1930s, people used to say that the paychecks from the Hammonton dredge kept Marysville alive. It’s important to understand what surrounds you, how it came to be, and how it’s being utilized today,” Chastain continues.
Although the gold dredge is no longer operational, the Tiechert Aggregates company continues to benefit from the groundwork laid by this century-old relic.
“The way we mine gold today is a direct result of the work these dredges accomplished,” explains Lloyd Burns, general manager of Western Aggregates.
He adds that the company now extracts sand and gravel from old mining sites, repurposing these materials for modern construction.
The historic dredge, located near Marysville, lay dormant for several decades. However, it was briefly reactivated from 2009 to 2013 before being permanently retired.
This industrial monument stands as a testament to the region’s golden past and its lasting impact on contemporary development.