Tony Beets, the self-proclaimed “King of the Klondike,” has never been a man to let a golden opportunity slip through his fingers. With the mining season rapidly drawing to a close and gold prices hitting record highs, Beets has doubled down on his aggressive expansion strategy, surprising his daughter Monica with a brand-new, half-million-dollar wash plant.

The move comes at a critical juncture for the Beets operation. Tony is currently locked in a race to hit a 5,000-ounce seasonal target, sitting just 180 ounces shy of the goal. To “smash through” the finish line, Beets determined that his existing two-plant blitz—the Trommel at Paradise Hill and the Slooot at Indian River—simply wouldn’t be enough to capitalize on the remaining virgin ground.

From “Soup Hole” to Success

The acquisition follows a disastrous attempt to mine the two-acre Hester Cut. Despite containing prime virgin ground that Tony has eyed for 40 years, the site was rendered inaccessible after recent weather turned the pay dirt into a “swimming pool full of mud.”

“There’s not even any use bringing a dozer in on nothing,” Tony remarked after equipment was nearly swallowed by the waterlogged “soup hole.”

While the failure of the Hester Cut threatened to sideline Monica Beets for the remainder of the season, she pivoted the strategy toward a pile of “old-timer tailings” located just 1,000 feet away. Although previously mined, the rise in gold prices has made re-processing these tailings a lucrative prospect. Tony agreed, but with one condition: they needed a machine faster and more efficient than the aging Moose Creek Trommel.

Introducing the “Super Sluice”

The solution arrived in the lower yard in the form of a $500,000 “Super Sluice” wash plant. Unlike the rotating trommels Tony usually favors, this machine is specifically engineered to handle high-volume pay dirt containing large boulders.

How the Super Sluice Works:

• The Hopper: Pay dirt is fed into a massive top-loading bin.

• Hydraulic Steel Fingers: These “fingers” mechanically push large waste rocks and boulders away from the processing area.

• High-Pressure Wash: Massive amounts of water strip the gold from the rocks.

• The Sluice: The heavier gold falls through the deck into a series of riffles below, while the waste (tailings) is ejected.

A Masterclass in Heavy Lifting

Setting up a 17-ton machine in the middle of the Yukon wilderness is no small feat. Tony mobilized his “A-Team,” including Monica, Glenn, and Cousin Mike, to perform a high-stakes installation.

The operation required Monica to lift the massive plant using a heavy-duty forklift while Mike Beets dragged specialized steel skids into position beneath it. Once the “shoes” were on, a dozer was used to pull the plant onto a pre-leveled pad adjacent to the old-timer tailings.

“That went awesome,” Monica noted after the plant was successfully leveled. “I think it’ll be just right for what we need.”

The Triple-Threat Strategy

With the “Super Sluice” now in place, Tony Beets is officially running a rare triple-plant operation. If the new plant can successfully extract the remaining gold from the tailings, Tony stands to not only hit his 5,000-ounce goal but potentially set a new record for the Beets empire.

“It’s all about how much effort you want to put into it as to how much money you want to make,” Tony said, watching the new plant settle into the Yukon permafrost. “It’s about time we got going.”