Fred Hurt rose to fame thanks to the rise in popularity of the Discovery Channel show “Gold Rush”. He often appears alongside his son Dustin, but their relationship is fraught with tension. A modern-day treasure hunter, Hurt spends his time strategizing and mining for a magnificent profit. Despite his colorful personality and shrewd business attitude, the series sometimes portrays him as a villain, but ultimately he’s only trying to make money. Fred Hurt wasn’t always destined for a life in the mines, spending a wandering youth fishing and avoiding school, his dedication and commitment saw him become a big name in the mining industry gold.
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Posted by Fred Hurt on Tuesday December 2nd, 2014
Early life and family
Fred Hurt was born on July 10, 1943, in North Dakota, United States. Due to his age, there was very little focus on his family and parents. Fred Hurt’s first love and hobby was fishing; he could spend hours with his fishing rod at the water’s edge, to the exclusion of everything else. At one point, his fondness for the water and nautical activities, such as diving, led him to consider a career in marine biology. When Hurt realized it wasn’t exactly a lucrative career choice, he ditched it in search of a career that settled him more comfortably.
Education
His dedication to fishing saw Hurt’s school grades suffer badly. The moment he entered high school, he realized that if he was to reach the place he wanted, he would have to put more effort into his school work.
He was able to improve his grades throughout high school, and Fred then attended college for a time, taking several geology courses, which first introduced him to the idea of mineral mining. ‘gold.
Career
Construction and commercial diving
Fred began his career as a commercial diver off the Gulf of Mexico. This combined his love of water with hard work and provided him with skills that would later come in handy during his work as a gold miner. It was there that he learned underwater construction, which in some ways resembles the support systems required for underground mining, demolition and salvage. He was so successful in this industry that he eventually owned his own construction company for 25 years.
Fred retired in 2004, but soon realized it was just a transition from one industry to another.
Mining
Hurt’s early career in gold mining was not as glamorous and successful as he had anticipated. In truth, he had several very unsuccessful seasons in Porcupine and Caribou Creek, which made him look for more promising frontiers. After spending time in Wyoming, Nevada and Montana with very little to show for his efforts, Hurt returned to Alaska in 2008, and here his luck began to turn. Fred settled near Little Squaw Lake and was instrumental in establishing and operating a gold processing plant, an experience that further solidified his dedication to his craft.
His potential was finally realized when he unearthed 600 ounces of gold in a single season at this new location.
Discovery Channel
The “Gold Rush” show premiered on December 10, 2010 and is still running to this day. The show follows the careers of gold miners like Fred, documenting their battles and successes to the delight of global audiences. Fred Hurt first appeared on the show in 2010, after buying the rights to land on which another miner had failed to pay the lease. That season he mined 80.4 ounces of gold, which may have seemed meager to other miners, but was impressive considering the manpower he had. The following season, he and his newly formed team, the Dakota Boys, dug up an impressive 803.02 ounces – nearly ten times the amount the previous season.
Fred Hurt branched out in 2015 to star in his own series, ‘All That Glitters’, which followed the exploits of Fred and his son Dustin as they attempted to find the pot of gold at the bottom of a waterfall. Hurt’s history with water served him well, and he went on to appear in another Discovery Channel spin-off – “Gold Rush: White Water” – which ran from 2018 to 2020. The show explores Team Dakota’s unconventional gold mining using a technique called suction dredge diving.
There were disagreements with the makers of “Gold Rush”, which led to Fred and Dustin not appearing on the show in the fifth season. This was largely due to the immense monetary impact the series had on Hurt’s life. Hurt explained to the audience that “I’m a working-class man” and that the show put him in a financial deficit. He also addressed the show’s makers saying, “If you want a minor, call me……if you want an actor, pay me as such.”
Private life
Wedding
Fred Hurt’s personal life is eventful and he has a large and growing family. He has been married three times for what he claims is a collective 42 years. There is no information about his first wife, their relationship predating the show. His second wife, Lorrayne Frances Leier Hurt, was an avid collector and enjoyed frequent auctions. The two were apparently deeply in love and contributed to several civic organizations together. Lorrayne suffered from an unspecified illness which worsened over time and ultimately led to his death on February 5, 2015.
Fred remarried, this time to longtime friend Jennifer Sheets, who had supported him as he mourned his previous wife. The two were married on July 30, 2016 at Letnikof Caves, Haines, and their marriage was officiated by one of Hurt’s sons.
The two are apparently married, and she often appears alongside her husband on the show, supporting his team.
Children
Fred Hurt is older than he looks and has 15 direct descendants – five great-grandchildren, six grandchildren and four biological children. Moreover, he also became the stepfather to the children of his current wife, Jennifer Sheets. Hurt’s eldest daughter, Darla Matlock, lives and works in Texas where she is a real estate agent. The youngest daughter, Shannon Hurt Rodrigue, is married to Gary Rodrigue and also lives in Texas. Besides his daughters, he has two sons, one of whom is a pastor and celebrated his last marriage, but whose name remains unknown.
Perhaps the most famous of all her children is her son Dustin Hurt; he began working as a forest firefighter for the Californian Forestry Service. He always showed exceptional determination and was known for his bravery at the scene of fires. Although he frequently appears in “Gold Rush” alongside his father, he still enjoys activities such as hiking and snowboarding. Dustin is married to Arin Alhum Hanson with whom he is expecting a child.
Appearance
Fred has aged exceptionally well and people are often surprised when they hear his age. He has suffered dramatic weight loss due to the physical demands of the gold mining industry and is now lean and muscular. Fred has a full head of white hair and occasionally sports a mustache and beard.
Fred’s left leg is misshapen and 4 inches shorter than his right leg; as he wears two inch inserts in his left boot he is hesitant to share the story of what caused this but that hasn’t stopped him from stirring up speculation and telling big stories about it happened, which he confirmed as false.
Net Worth and Salary
By his own admission, Fred Hurt isn’t a rich man, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t live comfortably. Although he has a net worth of $6 million, a significant portion of his funds go towards keeping his business afloat, funding mining expeditions, and renting land to mine. Financial difficulties are actually what led Fred Hurt to leave “Gold Rush”, which he says was underpaying him for his efforts and appearances.
