🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Type of dredge bucket?

[FinderTravis]

Found while gold panning on a river/creek without any early mining records. Could not find a matching example online? Vid i posted on you tube shortly after finding. Little on the history of area in vid details and links.

 

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[ANTIQUARIAN]

Welcome to Tnet from Toronto Travis.

It's certainly a small one, I'm basing my theory on your hand holding the shaft.
Because of it's size, I can't see it being very efficient at dredging.

I'm thinking more along the lines of it being used as a trenching shovel for digging irrigation ditches.
Dave

 

[tamrock]

My first thought is a half of a Cryderman clam shell loader bucket. Was there any shaft mining ever done in the area you found it?. Then again I could see why a placer operation would maybe utilize a clam shell loader. The way it's constructed tells me it's old and put together with without modern welding, casting or drop forging. I'm gonna download your photos and send them to a couple fellas I know that are really into historical mining methods and the equipment that that was used. If I found that, it would've definitely someway found its way to the back of my truck.

 

[nagant]

reminds my of a bucket trencher but never seen one that small, cool find!

 

[FinderTravis]

My first thought is a half of a Cryderman clam shell loader bucket. Was there any shaft mining ever done in the area you found it?. Then again I could see why a placer operation would maybe utilize a clam shell loader. The way it's constructed tells me it's old and put together with without modern welding, casting or drop forging. I'm gonna download your photos and send them to a couple fellas I know that are really into historical mining methods and the equipment that that was used. If I found that, it would've definitely someway found its way to the back of my truck.

Much appreciated! Yes the area was explored by old time miners, unsuccessfully, for the lode source of gold in the mid to late 1800s. Small deposits of anthrasite coal were discovered and mined well after the turn of the century in area though no shafts or portals can be seen/found nearby. There is the odd remains of miners shacks from 1920s-1950s on some of the rivers higher benches amongst earlier placer working tailings but no evidence of any lode mining or related tools/relics.

 

[FinderTravis]

Welcome to Tnet from Toronto Travis.

It's certainly a small one, I'm basing my theory on your hand holding the shaft.
Because of it's size, I can't see it being very efficient at dredging.

I'm thinking more along the lines of it being used as a trenching shovel for digging irrigation ditches.
Dave

Thank you for reply! glad to have joined this site!

 

[FinderTravis]

reminds my of a bucket trencher but never seen one that small, cool find!

Thank you!