Gold miner and the former patriarch of the Schnabel family, John Schnabel, is best known for his appearance on the TV reality show Gold Rush. He was also a shareholder of the Big Nugget Mine and the mayor of Haines. As of 2023, John Schnabel’s net worth was estimated at $5 million.
How Did John Schnabel Get So Rich?
John was born on February 11th, 1920, in Kansas, and died on March 18th, 2016. His father was a wheat farmer in Kansas, who lost his farm due to depression and went to Alaska. John followed his father when he was nineteen years old. As many others, Schnabel experienced a gold fever.
At Porcupine Creek, he bought a claim in 1984, the mine was later named Big Nugget Mine. John wanted the mine to be a place, where he could take his children for holidays. Later he started making money, being more involved. His grandson Parker Schnabel started working with him.
John Schnabel is known as a legendary gold miner, who found in one day impressive 50 ounces of gold including really large nuggets. At the end of second season, he suffered a heart attack, and lately he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After his death in 2016, he was remembered on Remembering John Schnabel Gold Rush’s, special episode meant as an homage to this great man.
