Parker Schnabel isn’t holding back this season, making major equipment purchases and pushing exploration to new limits.
Fresh off spending $540,000 on two brand-new water pumps, Schnabel knows that keeping his wash plants running is essential to gold production. “We live and die by the water pump,” he states. With 7,500 acres of ground to mine at Dominion Creek, Parker is sparing no expense to keep operations efficient.
Meanwhile, Parker is also exploring his vast claims, venturing into remote tributaries in search of untapped gold. Accompanied by drill expert Liam Ferguson, he investigates Sulfur Creek, a site mined by old-timers in the 1890s. Signs of past mining activity spark hope, but after a test pan reveals only five small gold flakes, Parker concedes the area isn’t worth moving his operation. “True failure,” he jokes, “someday I’ll find out what that’s like.”
Despite the setback, Parker presses on, determined to find new pay dirt. Whether through high-tech drilling or old-fashioned prospecting, the search for gold never stops.
