Tony Beets Kicks Off Season Strong at Early Bird Cut
Two weeks into the new season, Tony Beets and his family wasted no time firing up their wash plants. The veteran miner set his sights on a strong start at the Early Bird Cut, hoping to secure a quick, high-value cleanup to kick off the season.
Their first weigh-in delivered impressive results: 417.56 ounces from Indian River, worth roughly $1.5 million. With gold prices surging, Tony’s goal this year is 6,500 ounces, which would bring in an estimated $22 million — a massive haul even for the “King of the Klondike.”
Mike Beets Faces Pressure at Paradise Hill
Tony placed his son Mike Beets in charge of operations at Paradise Hill, while daughter Monica managed the gold room, preparing to clean and process incoming gold. For Mike, this was a chance to prove himself — and he was given a strict deadline to hit pay dirt before the end of the week.
Armed with six new rock trucks, including one valued at $750,000, Mike began expanding the cut and stripping new ground. But the operation quickly took a dangerous turn.
Disaster Strikes: $750K Truck Accident
Disaster struck when one of the brand-new trucks flipped over, leaving driver Graham trapped inside — the massive vehicle hanging precariously over a 200-foot drop.
The tense situation had the crew scrambling. They broke open the top of the cab window to free Graham, while a dozer and excavator worked in tandem to stabilize and right the vehicle before it slid off the cliff.
Fortunately, no one was hurt. Despite the damage to the expensive truck, Tony decided not to fire Graham, instead choosing to focus on getting back to work. “Everyone makes mistakes,” Tony said, though the crew was now down one crucial piece of machinery.
Back to Business — and Back to Gold
After the rescue, the Paradise Hill team regrouped and managed to hit pay dirt soon after, finally getting the sluice plant running. For Tony’s crew, the rocky start turned into a promising recovery — and the season was officially underway.
Kevin Beets Battles Setbacks — and a Shocking Loss
Meanwhile, at Scribner Creek, Kevin Beets was beginning his second season as a mine boss. After investing his savings to launch his own operation last year, Kevin was determined to double his return with an ambitious 2,000-ounce goal this season.
But the young miner faced a major blow early on when Brennan Ruault, one of his most experienced team members, unexpectedly left to rejoin Parker Schnabel’s crew. The move left Kevin and his partner Faith Teng stunned.
“I think we should go poaching too,” Kevin joked, trying to stay positive.
Beets Family Visit and First Weigh-In
Despite losing a key crew member, Kevin pushed ahead, relying more heavily on his remaining team. His parents, Tony and Minnie Beets, stopped by to check on progress. They were leasing Kevin’s ground and taking a 10 percent cut of his earnings.
Kevin’s first weigh-in of the season brought in 57.04 ounces, valued at around $200,000 — about $60,000 more than the same amount of gold fetched the previous year due to soaring gold prices.
Encouraged by the results, Kevin turned his focus to strengthening his team. The next step: finding a new foreman to replace Brennan and keep the operation on track.
A Family of Miners, A Season of Challenges
From Tony’s dramatic rescue at Paradise Hill to Kevin’s fight to rebuild his crew, the Beets family faces one of their most challenging seasons yet.
But if there’s one thing the Beets name stands for, it’s resilience — and as the sluice boxes roar back to life across the Yukon, this family’s gold-fueled dynasty shows no sign of slowing down.
