SUMPTER, Ore. — The beauty of traveling Oregon’s back roads and byways is the unexpected treasure that you may find along the way – not just the scenery, but interesting lessons about Oregon’s past.

An electric-powered gold-mining dredge is the main attraction at the Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area in Sumpter, Ore., on Feb. 20. The five-story-high machine, which ran from 1935 to 1954, ...

In the remote woods of Sumpter, Oregon lies one of the richest gold mines in the United States that was abandoned 80 years ago when a series of tragedies gave it an infamous reputation for being ...

An electric-powered gold-mining dredge is the main attraction at the Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area in Sumpter, Ore., recently. The five-story-high machine, which ran from 1935 to 1954, is ...

A storybook Christmas comes to life at this small-town, all-volunteer railroad. The Eastern Oregon mining town of Sumpter is officially known as a "ghost town." But every Christmas, the old steam ...