Dredge "Thompson', where is it?

[Paul A]

Yes, Fountain City was home dock.

[Ray]

Is the Thompson the same one that used to be parked at Fountain City, WI, or is that a different one?

[Paul A]

I don't know what exactly happened to relocate the dredge Thompson but while my daughter was going to Winona state U, a new museum was built in town with an above datum slab to accommodate the Thompson as part of the museum. The slab is substantial and the museum is called the Minnesota Marine Art Museum that was built largely with funding from the Fastenall Company.
The last time I was there their showcase exhibit was Chris Winters show of "Centennial, the St. Mary's Challenger".

[Mr Link]

I happened to run across the dredge in April 2013 on a towboat watching trip. I had no idea they were considering it for a museum; I thought it was just laid up or retired. I didn't get any decent photos due to the weather and the number of trees surrounding the slip the dredge is moored in.

On a related note, I found the steam dredge William M.Black in Dubuque, Iowa well worth the visit. Absolutely huge, with well preserved machinery, and its just one exhibit in a well-stocked maritime and river museum.

[Paul A]

It's very easy to see on Google satellite.

[RCRV]

I found it, its in Praire du Chien and is being made into a museum.

[RCRV]

There is supposed to be a dredge named the Thompson somewhere in Wi. that has a 1000 hp Enterprise diesel in it. Does anyone here have any information about where it is and who owns it?