Local elected officials attending the meeting included State Representative Jon Cross, County Commissioner Joe Antram, and County Commissioner-Elect Mike Yoder. In attendance were representatives from Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) to discuss the aquatic weed conditions on Indian Lake. The meeting was widely attended in person and online by viewers through Zoom and Facebook live. Plenty of trails are woven throughout the park for guests to learn of Oregon's mining history and enjoy Elkhorn Mountain scenery and wildlife.The Indian Lake Watershed Project Board of Directors (ILWP) held their monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 18 at the Indian Lake State Park. Despite leaving an unsightly ridge of tailings that stretches out for miles, gold dredging is part of eastern Oregon's heritage and gold mining history.

During its 20 years of service, the giant bucket brigade dug up more than 4 million dollars (over 160 million at today’s prices) of gold. Viewed as an important historic monument, the 75 year old dredge enjoys a rich history. Oregon’s Parks and Recreation added the Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area to its inventory of parks in 1994. Powered by electricity, the conveyor utilizes 65 to 72 one ton buckets, moving 100 acres of earth every year. Although, twice as much gold was mined by the miner's pick, the Powder River Gold Dredging Company designed and built three gargantuan gold dredges. Here in Sumpter, gold was first discovered in 1862, setting the tone of employment for the next century. Built in the early 1900s, the Sumpter Valley Dredge Company chewed up huge sections of eastern Oregon real estate.

Appearing much like a Rube Goldberg machine from the early 20th century, this 1250 ton behemoth was used to uncover gold in Sumpter Valley.

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