THE DIRT: The restoration of Prichard Creek
In 1879, AJ Prichard discovered gold in Prichard Creek, setting off the mining rush in the Coeur d’Alene basin. Prichard Creek is a tributary to the North Fork Coeur d’Alene River and was the site of several hard-rock mines and mill sites in the 1900s. Placer and lode mining dominated early mining efforts until a large dredge was brought in from Alaska by the Yukon Gold Company in 1917 and operated until 1926. The massive dredge was 106 feet long, 44 feet wide, and 6 stories tall. It worked 24 hours a day, manned by a crew of 12. Reports indicate that it dug down more than 20 feet into the riverbed.
The dredge turned over about five miles of the creek and floodplain, leaving behind a barren landscape of tailings. The disturbance altered the stream channel, causing water to flow subsurface and impairing the habitat and river function throughout the entire length of Prichard Creek to the confluence. Today, an approximately three-mile stretch of the creek near the town of Murray loses water for part of every year. Westslope cutthroat trout and other native fish species persist in Prichard Creek but lack connectivity to the upstream headwaters.
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