Mark Peterson, Gold Prospector & Inventor

It all started with a golden idea...

The Gold Rush Nugget Bucket was born in 2011 while I was managing my business, Western Mortgage Brokers, Inc. in Eugene, Oregon. I was looking for an activity to get my two daughters out of the house and away from technology. We’d been watching the Gold Rush television show, and thus decided to take them gold panning. I rigged my own contraption with a couple of screens that fit atop of a 5-gallon bucket with a hole drilled in the bottom. My girls excitedly scooped in dirt and poured in water with the allure of finding gold but ultimately had a blast just finding cool rocks for their rock polisher and some river polished glass nuggets. It was then that I realized this lightweight, self-contained gold panning kit had the makings of a commercially viable product.

In the year-and-a-half that followed, I perfected my design and the Gold Rush Nugget Bucket became what is now a patented product approved by the Gold Prospectors
Association of America. My hope is that the Gold Rush Nugget Bucket helps you and your family to enjoy the great outdoors in a new way, the same way it does for my own family and me. Professionals use it, kids love it and schools have incorporated it into their outdoor education programs. It’s a product that encourages everyone to get outside and participate in an activity that’s part of our country's history. The allure of treasure hunting is found in all of us! Enjoy your Gold Rush Nugget Bucket experience, and please, feel free share your adventures with us.

Sincerely,
Mark Peterson