Uploaded February 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This circa 1940 home movie was labeled, "hydaulicking, big electric dragline at Ester - one of the biggest at the time." The film shows gold mining activities near Ester and Fairbanks in Interior Alaska, with scenes including men operating hydraulic giants to strip away overburden, a Bucyrus-Monighan walking dragline, and a mile-long conveyor belt to transport paydirt (Color/Silent/16mm film).
This clip is from AAF-16347 of the Arnie M. Lee and Family collection held by the Alaska Film Archives, a unit of the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives Department in the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
The Alaska Film Archives appreciates your support. Your donation in any amount will help us continue important preservation work. Please visit the “About” section of our YouTube channel to learn how you can help today. Thank you! For more information please contact the Alaska Film Archives.
This circa 1940 home movie was labeled, "hydaulicking, big electric dragline at Ester - one of the biggest at the time." The film shows gold mining activities near Ester and Fairbanks in Interior Alaska, with scenes including men operating hydraulic giants to strip away overburden, a Bucyrus-Monighan walking dragline, and a mile-long conveyor belt to transport paydirt (Color/Silent/16mm film).
This clip is from AAF-16347 of the Arnie M. Lee and Family collection held by the Alaska Film Archives, a unit of the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives Department in the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
The Alaska Film Archives appreciates your support. Your donation in any amount will help us continue important preservation work. Please visit the “About” section of our YouTube channel to learn how you can help today. Thank you! For more information please contact the Alaska Film Archives.
