Enthusiast in the beauty of humans, travel, nature, flowers, photography, wildlife, hikes. Believes in the law of attraction, being happy, and especially Jesus Christ.
Blog formerly known as Haines, Alaska Tour Guide

Comments will be viewed by the author, Holly Jo, privately before being posted publicly. If you want it to stay private, please tell me. You do not have to be a member to comment, just use the anonymous option. Thank You for visiting.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Gold Rush Tour to Porcupine Creek


I have been invited to work with a tour company called Rainbow Glacier Tours. Yes!  That is.....as long as I can get myself licensed with a Commercial Drivers License (CDL) by the time cruise ships start coming up the inside passage of Southeast Alaska (mid May).  The owner has offered me a position as the Porcupine Creek Gold Rush Tour Guide....I’ll be the Gold Girl! I will get to take tourist out to Porcupine Creek and pan for gold at the Schnabel’s Big Nugget Gold Mine.
Have you seen Discovery Channel’s television show, Gold Rush ALASKA?  If you are a follower then you know who John Schnabel is.  He was on the show a few times.  He is the wise, respectable, gold mining neighbor of the greenhorn Oregon crew.  You know, the 6 men who came to Porcupine Creek last summer to strike it rich by gold mining.  They were not too successful (16 ounces of gold) but if they come back this year they have a chance of hitting the glory hole, since they have such a deep hole started.
John Schnabel has been mining Porcupine Creek for 25 years, he is 91 years old, and has been extremely successful at digging up the rich pay dirt.  I interviewed Mr. Schnabel a few months back about making a map of the Porcupine Creek area and its history.  He is an amazing man who has a great love of Haines and the history of Porcupine Creek.  His favorite gold miner of the 1898 gold rush is Jack Dalton.  
Jack Dalton was a quite man who made a big impression.  The ladies loved him, livestock obeyed him and men respected and feared him.  He worked as a logger, rancher, freighter, trail maker, and all around entrepreneur.  He opened up the Dalton Trail taking livestock , supplies and people from Haines to the Klondike Gold Rush in Dawson City.  It was along Dalton Trail that gold in Porcupine Creek was discovered.  John Schnabel’s dream is to get the Dalton Trail on the Registry of Historical Trails.  He turned me on to an excellent book called, "Jack Dalton: The Alaska Pathfinder" by M. J. Kirchhoff.  Its a great read for Alaska history, the gold rush of Porcupine Creek, and Haines.  Jack Dalton was the epitome of the wild western frontier man.   I would love to see Mr. Schnabel get his dream.....now Im a big fan as well.  
Here is an interesting fact.  Jack Dalton's son, James Dalton, was an Arctic Engineer who was a consultant in the oil field exploration of Alaska. The Dalton Highway (Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay) is named after him (anyone know Ice Road Truckers?).

John Schnabel's grandson, 16  yr old Parker, was on the TV show as well. He helped the Oregon guys work equipment on one of the episodes.  The Schnabel family is "salt of the earth", no nonsense, friendly people.  What you see is what you get.  Mr. Schnabel told me the Discovery Crew tried to give him lines to say for their show.  They wanted him to play the "mean, unfriendly neighbor".  He wouldn't hear of it.  He helped them when they asked, if he could, and that was that.  I look forward to taking guests out to meet the Schnabels and pan for gold.  
And hey, if I have anything to do with it,  I may have to take a little detour to check out the Discovery Crew’s Gold Mine (since they are neighbors and all).  I hope the Oregon crew will come back to Porcupine Creek for another run.  John Schnabel said it took him 2 years to start seeing pay dirt.  
As for me, right now, I have to get working on this CDL thing.  I have already passed the written tests.  I had to take 3 tests; general knowledge, passenger endorsement and air brakes.  I will spare you the trauma, but it took me 5 times to pass all 3.  Yes - I know that doesn't sound good, but I’ve never claimed to be a mechanic.  Thank goodness the written test was free.
With my CDL driving permit in hand, and the keys to the company bus, I now have to learn how to drive the thing without hitting people, buildings, or other vehicles.  (I’m sure I can do it.)  I also have to learn about the parts under the hood for a pre-trip inspection.  (I don't know about that.)  I hear the Haines Motor Vehicle Inspector is very strict and is more likely to fail a person than pass them. People have suggested it may be better for me to load the bus on the ferry and go to Skagway and test over there.  They may be right since it costs $25 per test, if my written test is any indication of my driving abilities...well...this could get costly.   

11 comments:

  1. Very Interesting Blog - I enjoyed the pictures - and the historical facts. Things are coming together for the summer "Gold Rush" Keep on Keeping on. Great Stuff

    ReplyDelete
  2. GOLD Girl is a perfect name for you with your sunshine bubbly attitude. What an awesome experience. I should send this to Margaret @ NCL shore excursion, because i know our people will want to take this tour. Would love to come and take it myself... hmm how can i get NCL to send me. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's a great photo of John and you! What a beautiful face and your is too Holly Jo!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Starting watch the show and didn't know that Parker was from Haines I lived there for 10 years and played softball with his dad for NWT and saw his dad falling trees kinda cool. Great show!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow - very cool! Roger and John make it on the show too. Now your going to be hooked :)

      Delete
  5. I remember the days of sleds as a child in Fairbanks Alaska; and a church function panning from a truck in the church parking lot. I myself now; single father of two wonderful boys wishing to teach them the old ways thats been forgotten far to long now.
    I am almost 35 and boys at 5 and turning 7 this month; are separated because I needed help. If I could prove myself for a couple months I don't care my wages- I just want to work at something I love doing even if it's looking for plain rocks maybe to make an art piece out of. This is a cold call- simply running out of options. No hand out- just work. A man named "Ted" when I was 13 told me "The wisest man is the one that listens---what he made me figure out on my own was "You need to be willing to ask the questions" he himself if he was alive today would be the oldest Alaskan Fort man alive. Fathom that meeting a man at 94 till I last seen him at 97 years old. Running the first Fort in Alaska. my email: jtdoux@gmail.com I am a good excavator operator and bobcat too. I like to spend a month up there. Let me know if I need to fill out an application or write a letter. I have no shame to ask for work.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I would love to go on that tour when I visit the States. You have such a lovely bubbly personality. Becca x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Becca - I hope you come visit! Gold Gal

      Delete