#004 – Placer Gold Mining with the Mayo Prospector, Lawrence Dublenko

#004 – In this episode, we learn how to search for that rare metal element that men have toiled over for millennia, and quickly learn that all that glitters is often times more than just gold.  Lawrence Dublenko and his wife Connie eventually discover a placer gold bearing creek in the back country of the Mayo area, and more importantly, the treasure of camaraderie in the hearts and souls of the people who choose to live in this central Northern Yukon community. 

Prospector, teacher, and industrious entrepreneur, Lawrence gives us an in depth look into his life in the Mayo area as he takes us through the process of staking, testing, gold mining, and the reclamation process as the final step in decommissioning a claim. His greatest discovery of riches comes from his crystalline appreciation of the people who have made his life rich while he proceeded to search for the elusive yellow metal buried deep in the bedrock.

Lawrence getting his hands dirty while working on a Bucyrus Erie 22W cable tool drill.
  • Lawrence’s Argo with homemade tracks. Inspected by my dog Leo

If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much room.

  • Testing out one of his newly built log splitters.
Testing the creek for colours
  • Staking the claims

Home sweet home. Enjoying base camp at the claim
Lawrence drill sampling with his homemade auger on his Argo
Flying in the single Otter float plane with Connie
Completing Lawrence’s Gold Sluice Plant. All water flows through the interior portions of the steel work so no lines are exposed to damage. Note the spray bar tubing around the hopper box.
Hydraulic Riffles
T1 Iron punch plates in the shaker box stepped down for fine gold recovery to end up beneath the plates.
First coat of paint finished
Hydraulic riffles and manifold installed.
Hydraulic riffles in place and “miner’s moss” and expanded metal required to capture fine gold.
Tailings chute with adjustments for angle as well adjustments on the riffle box.
Fully assembled and ready for the shaker box power unit to be installed.

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I hope you enjoyed this podcast and webpage and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen