In an unexpected turn of events, Parker Schnabel’s new venture into Sulfur Creek has begun to show promising results, with his wash plant Bob firing up for the first time under his ownership. The pivotal moment came just two days after the sudden purchase of the property, which had been marred by a significant mechanical setback—the failure of Bob’s feed lip, threatening to delay operations for the day.
The breakdown was a crucial challenge for Parker, who had been pushing his crew to make up for lost time after struggling to recover gold from his other claims. The team worked tirelessly, with mechanics Alec Kelly and Liam Pukula reinforcing the wash plant to ensure it could handle the harsh demands of the new ground. “We got to get this fixed before we can fire Bob up,” Parker explained, highlighting the urgency of getting the plant back in action.
After a tense day of repairs, Bob was back in operation, and the results were worth the effort. The first clean-up from the Sulfur Creek claim came in at an impressive 141.65 ounces, nearly doubling the output from Parker’s previous cut at the Bridge Cut, which had struggled to hit 100 ounces all week. This success has instilled confidence in Parker, who had expressed doubts about the viability of Sulfur Creek just a few days before.
“I don’t know, Chris. Do we like our new purchase?” Parker joked to his crew as they celebrated the gold haul. With the new ground now showing its potential, Parker is optimistic about the future of his Sulfur Creek operation. The gold recovered from Sulfur Creek alone has contributed $1.3 million in value, helping cover more than half of the purchase cost of the property.
The week’s total gold recovery across all operations came to 535.2 ounces, valued at $1.3 million, pushing Parker’s season total to 2880.5 ounces. This represents a significant step towards his annual gold target and offers hope that the rest of the season will continue to deliver big rewards.
“We broke 500, it gives us a season total of 2880.5. Keep that going, and we’ll be all right,” Parker added, reflecting on the positive outlook for the weeks ahead.
Parker’s decision to invest in Sulfur Creek was driven by the growing pressure to meet his gold production goals, and it’s clear that this risky purchase is starting to pay off. With Bob now fully operational, Parker and his crew are ready to continue their push for gold—and prove the doubters wrong.
