Gold Rush

LET'S GO FOR AN ADVENTURE.

Narrator: ON THIS "GOLD RUSH"...

WE'RE GOING BIG ON SMITH CREEK.

Narrator: ...THE PARKER SCHNABEL STORY.

-WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS SUMMER? -MINING FOR GOLD.

I'M IN CHARGE NOW.

John: HE HAS VISIONS

THAT HE'S GONNA MAKE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS EVERY DAY,

AND I HOPE HE'S RIGHT.

THERE'S A CAMERA IN MY FACE EVERY DAY.

HE'S 17, AND I'M HIS MOTHER.

Nancy: IF YOU KILL YOURSELF,

WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LIVE WITH OURSELVES.

WE GOT TO GET UP HERE WHERE THE BIG BOYS PLAY.

Man: OH, DEAR!

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, BUT IT'S NOT GOOD.

OOH!

THAT'S $3 MILLION RIGHT THERE ON THE TABLE.

Man: WHAT?!

IT'S JUST GOLD FEVER. THAT'S ALL IT IS.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: IN 2010, TODD HOFFMAN WENT NORTH

TO STRIKE IT RICH ON A GOLD MINE IN PORCUPINE CREEK, ALASKA.

WE GOT TO TURN THIS BOAT AROUND.

I'M HOPING THAT GOLD MINING IS THE KEY TO THAT.

MAYBE RESPARK THE AMERICAN DREAM AGAIN.

Narrator: ACROSS THE CREEK, AT THE BIG NUGGET MINE...

HEY, PARKER, COME ON OUT HERE.

...LONG-TIME GOLD MINERS 90-YEAR-OLD JOHN SCHNABEL

AND HIS 15-YEAR-OLD GRANDSON, PARKER,

CHECKED OUT THEIR NEW NEIGHBORS.

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.

HUH. GETTING SOME NEIGHBORS, HUH?

HUH.

THEY GOT A LOT OF MACHINERY.

YEAH.

COUPLE EXCAVATORS, HUH?

LOOKS LIKE A BIG PIECE OF JUNK.

PARKER WAS JUST A TEENAGER,

BUT HE WAS ALREADY A SHREWD BUSINESSMAN,

AND HE SAW AN OPPORTUNITY

TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK OFF THE CITY SLICKERS.

GO, PARKER! GO, PARKER!

Man: NAILED IT.

YOUR DAD SAYS THAT SOMETIMES, HE HAS TO SPANK YOU,

AND THAT'S GOOD FOR A YOUNG MAN.

THAT'S EMBARRASSING.

SO HOW MANY KIDS ARE IN YOUR JUNIOR HIGH?

JUNIOR HIGH? I'M NOT IN JUNIOR HIGH.

PARKER, YOU NEED TO LEARN HOW TO READ.

SHUT UP.

Narrator: THE HOFFMANS GAVE THE KID A HARD TIME,

BUT THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR HAD THE LAST LAUGH.

Man: PARKER, WHAT'S WITH THE WOOD?

YOU FEELING SORRY FOR THESE GUYS?

NO. I CHARGED THEM DOUBLE WHAT I USUALLY DO.

I JUST SELL FIREWOOD ON THE SIDE WHEN I'M NOT MINING.

AND WHEN YOU'RE NOT AT SCHOOL.

YEAH.

THAT'S KIND OF TOUGH NOW

'CAUSE I'VE STILL GOT QUITE A BIT TO DO

AND I'M GOING TO SCHOOL,

AND I PROBABLY SHOULDN'T BE STANDING HERE, TALKING.

YUP. OKAY.

Narrator: AS TODD MINED PORCUPINE CREEK,

PARKER WAS JUST FINISHING HIS SOPHOMORE YEAR AT HIGH SCHOOL.

THIS IS OUR LAST CLASS OF THE SEMESTER,

SO SUMMER AND BREAK AFTER THIS.

PRETTY EXCITED TO GET IT OVER WITH AND GET OUT OF HERE.

AND THEN USE THAT EMPHASIS, USE YOUR PUNCTUATION MARKS,

AND TRY IT LIKE THAT.

Narrator: EVEN IN CLASS,

PARKER HAD GOLD ON HIS MIND.

PARKER, WHAT ARE YOU -- PUT YOUR COMPUTER AWAY.

OKAY? OKAY.

THANK YOU. SORRY, MS. MARTIN.

THE BIGGEST PROBLEM I HAVE WITH SCHOOL IS

I DON'T SEE THE RELEVANCE TO MY LIFE.

MY LONG-TERM PLAN FOR MINING AND COLLEGE

WILL KIND OF DEPEND A LOT ON THIS SUMMER

AND, UH, WHAT I WANT TO DO IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.

SO HAVE A GREAT SUMMER, AND WE'LL SEE YOU IN THE FALL.

Narrator: PARKER HAD BIG PLANS FOR HIS SUMMER VACATION.

Parker: WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS SUMMER?

Young man: GOING TO HAWAII.

-YOU'RE GOING TO HAWAII? -NEXT WEEK.

-ALL SUMMER? -WHAT?

-PARKER, HOW 'BOUT YOU? -MINING FOR GOLD.

-THE USUAL. -EXCITING.

FIND AS MUCH GOLD AS I CAN IN 3 MONTHS.

SO WE'LL SEE HOW THAT GOES.

RIGHT ON. I'LL SEE YOU AROUND SOMETIME.

YEAH.

TEXT ME IF YOU GUYS DO ANYTHING.

Parker: THE NICE THING ABOUT BIG NUGGET WHEN I WAS GROWING UP

WAS THAT IT WAS EVERYTHING A KID NEEDED.

WHEN I WANTED TO HAVE IT BE A PLAYGROUND,

IT WAS A PLAYGROUND.

WHEN I WANTED IT TO BE A SCHOOL, IT WAS A SCHOOL.

I'VE PRACTICALLY GROWN UP UP THERE.

Nancy: PARKER'S QUESTION TO GRANDPA WAS, YOU KNOW,

"WHEN CAN I GO TO BIG NUGGET?

WHEN CAN I GO TO THE MINE WITH YOU?"

AND JOHN LOOKED AT HIM AND SAID,

"WHEN YOU'RE NOT WEARING THOSE DIAPERS."

IN ABOUT 2 OR 3 DAYS, HIS MOTHER BROUGHT HIM UP,

AND HE UNZIPPED HIS PANTS,

AND HE SAYS, "GRANDPA, I GOT NO DIAPERS."

Parker: BIG NUGGET, IT WAS THE PLACE TO BE.

I JUST HAD TO GET RID OF THOSE PESKY DIAPERS.

THERE WERE AREAS THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO GET GOLD JUST PANNING.

AND I SAID TO HIM,

"YOU FIND ANY GOLD IN THAT, IT'S YOURS."

WELL, IT BECAME A REAL FUN THING.

IT WAS A NO-MOM ZONE UP THERE.

I DIDN'T KNOW THAT MY 8-YEAR-OLD WAS DRIVING AN EXCAVATOR.

IF I HAD, THE NO-MOM ZONE MIGHT HAVE HAD A MOM IN IT.

YOU THINK THAT'S GONNA DO ANY GOOD?

Narrator: AT JUST 15,

PARKER BECAME HIS BELOVED GRANDPA'S RIGHT-HAND MAN.

YOU GOT A LITTLE BIT OF DIRT THERE, BUT THAT'S ALL RIGHT.

THAT'S OKAY.

THAT'S ABOUT A -- I WOULD JUDGE CLOSE TO A HALF AN OUNCE.

YEAH. I'D SAY SO, TOO. A LITTLE OVER, I BET.

THERE'S 480 GRAINS IN AN OUNCE, SO A HALF AN OUNCE WOULD BE 240.

TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE GRAINS, THAT'S A --

I WAS RIGHT.

PRETTY CLOSE. YEAH.

THAT'S OVER A HALF OUNCE.

PARKER DIDN'T SEE MINING AS A HOBBY.

HE SAW IT AS A BUSINESS.

Man: YOU KNOW HOW MANY YARDS THAT IS?

ABOUT 100 YARDS.

YESTERDAY, WE RAN 140.

WE RAN 140 YARDS YESTERDAY?

YESTERDAY. WE DID?

HE KNOWS I DON'T PAY THAT MUCH ATTENTION.

HE BROUGHT UP ONE OF THOSE LITTLE BUTTONS

YOU PUSH YOUR THUMB ON EVERY TIME YOU DUMP A LOAD IN.

HE BECAME CONVINCED THAT THIS WAS A WAY TO MAKE MONEY.

AND SO THAT STARTED HIM, AND HE NEVER GAVE UP.

Narrator: ACROSS PORCUPINE CREEK...

Todd: IT'S NOT WORKING RIGHT HERE.

...THE HOFFMAN OPERATION WAS DEAD IN THE WATER.

ANYTHING COMING OUT?

YEAH. WE'RE ALL PLUGGED UP.

THE ROOKIE MINERS WERE FORCED TO ASK FOR HELP

FROM THE KID NEXT DOOR.

Todd: A LITTLE EMBARRASSING.

YOU GOT A 15-YEAR-OLD KID TELLING YOU HOW TO MINE,

BUT HE'S GOT A LOT MORE EXPERIENCE THAN I DO.

HE'S BEEN MINING SINCE HE WAS 6 YEARS OLD.

TODD.

HOW ARE YOU, BUDDY? PRETTY GOOD.

I WANT YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT MY JIG.

SOMETHING'S WRONG.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING WITH IT.

THAT'S NOT GONNA WORK.

OKAY.

DID YOU GUYS LEVEL THIS OUT WHEN YOU PUT IT IN?

I GOT TO TAKE THAT APART.

Parker: WELL, YEAH. ROCKS AREN'T GONNA FIT UNDER THAT.

Todd: DUDE, FIRST RUN, BUDDY.

THAT'S A MESS.

I'M FROM THE CITY, MAN.

I DIDN'T GROW UP OUT HERE LIKE YOU.

WHATEVER.

Todd: I'M SURE HE'S LOOKING AT US LIKE, "OH, MY GOSH."

YOU KNOW? "LOOK AT THESE GUYS.

THEY'RE NEVER GONNA MAKE IT."

SO THERE MUST BE REALLY SOMETHING PLUGGED UP IN THERE.

I PIPED THEM BOTH TOGETHER WITH ONE VALVE.

Parker: SO YOU NEED MORE WATER PRESSURE.

A VALVE ON EACH OF THOSE,

AND THEN YOU CAN ADJUST

HOW MUCH COMES OUT THROUGH THE BOTTOM.

I GOT TO DO THEM SEPARATELY?

I THINK SO.

SHOOT.

I'M GONNA HAVE TO CUT IT OFF.

THAT'S WHERE I SCREWED UP.

I WAS RUNNING BOTH IN TOGETHER.

DO IT RIGHT NOW.

Jack: I THINK THIS WHOLE PIPE IS JUST PLUGGED UP WITH GOLD.

DUDE.

DUDE, YOU ARE ME.

LOOK OUT. LOOK OUT.

WHOA!

ALL RIGHT.

I SEE GOLD ON MY FINGERS.

I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND.

Parker: WHEN THEY OPENED THE VALVE,

"THERE'S GOLD EVERYWHERE!

IT'S COVERED IN GOLD!

LOOK AT MY HANDS!"

I SAW THREE LITTLE TINY FLAKES.

IT'S JUST GOLD FEVER. THAT'S ALL IT IS.

YOU KNOW THEY'RE AMATEURS

WHEN THEY DIG THROUGH WITH THEIR FINGERS

AND LOOK FOR IT.