Originally built by the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company in 1913, on Torch Lake, this dredge was sold to the Quincy Mining Company in 1951, prior to closing their reclamation plant in 1952. Quincy then operated the dredge, renamed as Dredge Number 2 (Dredge Number 1 sank in a winter storm on January 15, 1956) until it sank in the winter of 1968. The dredges were used to pump old mine tailings (crushed rock) out of the lake and reprocess them, profitably removing copper missed during the initial processing of years past. Over the years, the Dredge Number 2 has steadily decayed and now sits half sunken on the shore of Torch Lake.
