"I am lucky, a very fortunate man."
"Material things are fine. But love is the most important, and I'm surrounded by it."
"Goodbye, my friends. It's hard to die, when the birds are singing in the sky and flowers are blooming everywhere. Song and laughter fill the air. How I wish I could be there."
~ John Schnabel, February 2016
Gold miner, "Gold Rush" star, former Haines mayor, and Schnabel family patriarch dies of heart failure at age 96.
Born in 1920, John was the son of a Kansas wheat farmer. His father brewed bootleg alcohol during prohibition and the family had to leave the farm when the US Marshals came looking for him. At 19 years old, John packed up his possessions and took a steamer north to Haines, Alaska, where he joined his father, who had set up a sawmill.
The day after Pearl Harbour was bombed, John volunteered to join the US Navy, but was placed in the Air Corps. After the war he returned to Haines and in 1946, he bought Porcupine Mill, which, after he renovated it, could produce 10,000 feet of board wood per day. John went on to open a local hardware store and was later elected mayor of Haines.
At 68, John suffered heart problems and underwent a triple bypass. His doctor recommended that he keep active so John bought the Big Nugget mine and started gold mining. He taught his grandsons Payson and Parker how to prospect, pan and operate equipment and passed on to them his passion for gold mining.
Bio provided by Discovery.com
View historical photos of John Schnabel here Discovery.com
John Schnabel, an Alaskan gold miner and family patriarch on the reality TV show “Gold Rush,” has died, according to multiple news sources. He was 96.
Schnabel, who owned a claim to the Big Nugget mine in Porcupine Creek, Alaska, died March 18 in his sleep, according to his family.
“Thank you all for the kind words,” wrote John Schabel’s grandson, Peter Schnabel, in a Twitter message. “John lived a great life and was one of a kind. I am glad the world got to see an amazing man.”
The show, which airs on the Discovery Channel cable network, is currently in its sixth season. The first season, titled “Gold Rush – Alaska,” aired on the channel in December 2010. It follows the escapades of a group of miners who initially took up the mining pursuit because they had lost their jobs in Sandy, Oregon.
During the show’s second season, when the show’s name was shortened to “Gold Rush,” John Schnabel decided to step down and give the Big Nugget mine to grandson Parker Schnabel.
The elder Schnabel was born Feb. 11, 1920, the son of a wheat farmer in Kansas. During the Great Depression, the farm was lost, and his father moved to Alaska. John Schnabel stayed behind, only moving to Haines, Alaska, in 1939.
He didn’t buy a claim to the mine until 1984. Schnabel bought the claim as a way to stay active – doctors’ orders – after undergoing heart surgery. He was still active in the mine in early 2014.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better father, grandfather, and overall family man,” the Schnabel family told People in a statement to the magazine. “He was a true legend, and we appreciate all of your love and support as we celebrate his wonderful life.”
Obituary provided by Legacy.com
Census and other records:
1920s - grew up on a wheat farm in Kansas
1930-1935 lived in Altamont, Klamath County, Oregon
1935-1940 lived in Klamath Falls, Klamath County, Oregon
1940-1945 moved to Haines, Alaska; served in the Air Corps
1946 purchased Porcupine Mill
1950 August 20, married Erma Dire
Mayor of Haines
"Material things are fine. But love is the most important, and I'm surrounded by it."
"Goodbye, my friends. It's hard to die, when the birds are singing in the sky and flowers are blooming everywhere. Song and laughter fill the air. How I wish I could be there."
~ John Schnabel, February 2016
Gold miner, "Gold Rush" star, former Haines mayor, and Schnabel family patriarch dies of heart failure at age 96.
Born in 1920, John was the son of a Kansas wheat farmer. His father brewed bootleg alcohol during prohibition and the family had to leave the farm when the US Marshals came looking for him. At 19 years old, John packed up his possessions and took a steamer north to Haines, Alaska, where he joined his father, who had set up a sawmill.
The day after Pearl Harbour was bombed, John volunteered to join the US Navy, but was placed in the Air Corps. After the war he returned to Haines and in 1946, he bought Porcupine Mill, which, after he renovated it, could produce 10,000 feet of board wood per day. John went on to open a local hardware store and was later elected mayor of Haines.
At 68, John suffered heart problems and underwent a triple bypass. His doctor recommended that he keep active so John bought the Big Nugget mine and started gold mining. He taught his grandsons Payson and Parker how to prospect, pan and operate equipment and passed on to them his passion for gold mining.
Bio provided by Discovery.com
View historical photos of John Schnabel here Discovery.com
John Schnabel, an Alaskan gold miner and family patriarch on the reality TV show “Gold Rush,” has died, according to multiple news sources. He was 96.
Schnabel, who owned a claim to the Big Nugget mine in Porcupine Creek, Alaska, died March 18 in his sleep, according to his family.
“Thank you all for the kind words,” wrote John Schabel’s grandson, Peter Schnabel, in a Twitter message. “John lived a great life and was one of a kind. I am glad the world got to see an amazing man.”
The show, which airs on the Discovery Channel cable network, is currently in its sixth season. The first season, titled “Gold Rush – Alaska,” aired on the channel in December 2010. It follows the escapades of a group of miners who initially took up the mining pursuit because they had lost their jobs in Sandy, Oregon.
During the show’s second season, when the show’s name was shortened to “Gold Rush,” John Schnabel decided to step down and give the Big Nugget mine to grandson Parker Schnabel.
The elder Schnabel was born Feb. 11, 1920, the son of a wheat farmer in Kansas. During the Great Depression, the farm was lost, and his father moved to Alaska. John Schnabel stayed behind, only moving to Haines, Alaska, in 1939.
He didn’t buy a claim to the mine until 1984. Schnabel bought the claim as a way to stay active – doctors’ orders – after undergoing heart surgery. He was still active in the mine in early 2014.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better father, grandfather, and overall family man,” the Schnabel family told People in a statement to the magazine. “He was a true legend, and we appreciate all of your love and support as we celebrate his wonderful life.”
Obituary provided by Legacy.com
Census and other records:
1920s - grew up on a wheat farm in Kansas
1930-1935 lived in Altamont, Klamath County, Oregon
1935-1940 lived in Klamath Falls, Klamath County, Oregon
1940-1945 moved to Haines, Alaska; served in the Air Corps
1946 purchased Porcupine Mill
1950 August 20, married Erma Dire
Mayor of Haines
"I am lucky, a very fortunate man."
"Material things are fine. But love is the most important, and I'm surrounded by it."
"Goodbye, my friends. It's hard to die, when the birds are singing in the sky and flowers are blooming everywhere. Song and laughter fill the air. How I wish I could be there."
~ John Schnabel, February 2016
Gold miner, "Gold Rush" star, former Haines mayor, and Schnabel family patriarch dies of heart failure at age 96.
Born in 1920, John was the son of a Kansas wheat farmer. His father brewed bootleg alcohol during prohibition and the family had to leave the farm when the US Marshals came looking for him. At 19 years old, John packed up his possessions and took a steamer north to Haines, Alaska, where he joined his father, who had set up a sawmill.
The day after Pearl Harbour was bombed, John volunteered to join the US Navy, but was placed in the Air Corps. After the war he returned to Haines and in 1946, he bought Porcupine Mill, which, after he renovated it, could produce 10,000 feet of board wood per day. John went on to open a local hardware store and was later elected mayor of Haines.
At 68, John suffered heart problems and underwent a triple bypass. His doctor recommended that he keep active so John bought the Big Nugget mine and started gold mining. He taught his grandsons Payson and Parker how to prospect, pan and operate equipment and passed on to them his passion for gold mining.
Bio provided by Discovery.com
View historical photos of John Schnabel here Discovery.com
John Schnabel, an Alaskan gold miner and family patriarch on the reality TV show “Gold Rush,” has died, according to multiple news sources. He was 96.
Schnabel, who owned a claim to the Big Nugget mine in Porcupine Creek, Alaska, died March 18 in his sleep, according to his family.
“Thank you all for the kind words,” wrote John Schabel’s grandson, Peter Schnabel, in a Twitter message. “John lived a great life and was one of a kind. I am glad the world got to see an amazing man.”
The show, which airs on the Discovery Channel cable network, is currently in its sixth season. The first season, titled “Gold Rush – Alaska,” aired on the channel in December 2010. It follows the escapades of a group of miners who initially took up the mining pursuit because they had lost their jobs in Sandy, Oregon.
During the show’s second season, when the show’s name was shortened to “Gold Rush,” John Schnabel decided to step down and give the Big Nugget mine to grandson Parker Schnabel.
The elder Schnabel was born Feb. 11, 1920, the son of a wheat farmer in Kansas. During the Great Depression, the farm was lost, and his father moved to Alaska. John Schnabel stayed behind, only moving to Haines, Alaska, in 1939.
He didn’t buy a claim to the mine until 1984. Schnabel bought the claim as a way to stay active – doctors’ orders – after undergoing heart surgery. He was still active in the mine in early 2014.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better father, grandfather, and overall family man,” the Schnabel family told People in a statement to the magazine. “He was a true legend, and we appreciate all of your love and support as we celebrate his wonderful life.”
Obituary provided by Legacy.com
Census and other records:
1920s - grew up on a wheat farm in Kansas
1930-1935 lived in Altamont, Klamath County, Oregon
1935-1940 lived in Klamath Falls, Klamath County, Oregon
1940-1945 moved to Haines, Alaska; served in the Air Corps
1946 purchased Porcupine Mill
1950 August 20, married Erma Dire
Mayor of Haines
"Material things are fine. But love is the most important, and I'm surrounded by it."
"Goodbye, my friends. It's hard to die, when the birds are singing in the sky and flowers are blooming everywhere. Song and laughter fill the air. How I wish I could be there."
~ John Schnabel, February 2016
Gold miner, "Gold Rush" star, former Haines mayor, and Schnabel family patriarch dies of heart failure at age 96.
Born in 1920, John was the son of a Kansas wheat farmer. His father brewed bootleg alcohol during prohibition and the family had to leave the farm when the US Marshals came looking for him. At 19 years old, John packed up his possessions and took a steamer north to Haines, Alaska, where he joined his father, who had set up a sawmill.
The day after Pearl Harbour was bombed, John volunteered to join the US Navy, but was placed in the Air Corps. After the war he returned to Haines and in 1946, he bought Porcupine Mill, which, after he renovated it, could produce 10,000 feet of board wood per day. John went on to open a local hardware store and was later elected mayor of Haines.
At 68, John suffered heart problems and underwent a triple bypass. His doctor recommended that he keep active so John bought the Big Nugget mine and started gold mining. He taught his grandsons Payson and Parker how to prospect, pan and operate equipment and passed on to them his passion for gold mining.
Bio provided by Discovery.com
View historical photos of John Schnabel here Discovery.com
John Schnabel, an Alaskan gold miner and family patriarch on the reality TV show “Gold Rush,” has died, according to multiple news sources. He was 96.
Schnabel, who owned a claim to the Big Nugget mine in Porcupine Creek, Alaska, died March 18 in his sleep, according to his family.
“Thank you all for the kind words,” wrote John Schabel’s grandson, Peter Schnabel, in a Twitter message. “John lived a great life and was one of a kind. I am glad the world got to see an amazing man.”
The show, which airs on the Discovery Channel cable network, is currently in its sixth season. The first season, titled “Gold Rush – Alaska,” aired on the channel in December 2010. It follows the escapades of a group of miners who initially took up the mining pursuit because they had lost their jobs in Sandy, Oregon.
During the show’s second season, when the show’s name was shortened to “Gold Rush,” John Schnabel decided to step down and give the Big Nugget mine to grandson Parker Schnabel.
The elder Schnabel was born Feb. 11, 1920, the son of a wheat farmer in Kansas. During the Great Depression, the farm was lost, and his father moved to Alaska. John Schnabel stayed behind, only moving to Haines, Alaska, in 1939.
He didn’t buy a claim to the mine until 1984. Schnabel bought the claim as a way to stay active – doctors’ orders – after undergoing heart surgery. He was still active in the mine in early 2014.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better father, grandfather, and overall family man,” the Schnabel family told People in a statement to the magazine. “He was a true legend, and we appreciate all of your love and support as we celebrate his wonderful life.”
Obituary provided by Legacy.com
Census and other records:
1920s - grew up on a wheat farm in Kansas
1930-1935 lived in Altamont, Klamath County, Oregon
1935-1940 lived in Klamath Falls, Klamath County, Oregon
1940-1945 moved to Haines, Alaska; served in the Air Corps
1946 purchased Porcupine Mill
1950 August 20, married Erma Dire
Mayor of Haines
