In Season 2 of Discovery’s “Gold Rush” – which follows the efforts of several family-run gold mines throughout Alaska and Canada’s Yukon region — then-newcomer Tony Beets quickly became one of the show’s main cast members. Starting out as a machine operator, Beets now runs one of the largest gold-mining operations in the Klondike, known as the Eureka Creek Mine, according to his official Discovery bio. However, where exactly is the mine located?
In 2018, Redditor u/closer_to_the_flame shared a Google Maps location of what appears to be one of Beets’ dredges. According to the map, Beets Dredge #1, known as the Viking Dredge, is located in McKinnon Creek, Canada, only 180 meters from the Beets Crew’s Eureka Creek Mine. Located in the Yukon region, the exact coordinates of the Eureka Creek Mine are 63° 37.633′ N, 138° 49.2202′ W.
What is the Viking Dredge?
Weighing in at 350 tons, Tony Beets’ Viking Dredge, or Beets Dredge #1, is a floating industrial bucket built in 1939 and one part of the Viking Fleet. Beets bought the dredge in Season 5 of “Gold Rush” for $1 million. This was nothing out of the ordinary for Beets, who claimed he was willing to spend $7 million on equipment in 2021 in a clip shared by the official “Gold Rush” Twitter. However, it’s unclear if the dredge is the most expensive piece of equipment purchased for “Gold Rush.” At the time, the Viking was located at the Clear Creek Claim and had not been used in 30 years. It was later moved to the Eureka Creek Claim in Yukon, Canada when it became operational.
However, setting up the dredge and keeping it operational proved challenging at first. In a 2020 episode of “Gold Rush,” it was revealed that the dredge had sunk two times in six weeks. While the crew acted quickly to drain the dredge pond and save the machine, it put the mine at risk of losing over $1,000 every hour. Additionally, after suffering a busted conveyor, the dredge was not operational for all of “Gold Rush” Season 7.
The Viking Dredge is named for Beets’ own nickname, “The Viking,” as he was raised in the Netherlands.
Is Tony Beets still on Gold Rush?
At the time of writing, “Gold Rush” is in its 14th season, which premiered on September 29. As of August 2023, Beets was still one of the show’s main cast members, appearing in the Season 14 trailer alongside Ness and Schnabel. Beets has been a part of the “Gold Rush” family since Season 2, where he entered the series by giving fellow gold miner Todd Hoffman advice on his personal secret to mining gold. He would go on to act as a sort of mentor to the younger Schnabel, though his harsh demeanor inevitably created a rivalry between the two men.
Discovery’s “Gold Rush” premiered as “Gold Rush: Alaska” in 2010. The success of “Gold Rush” has spawned several spin-off reality shows, including “Gold Rush: White Water” and “Hoffman Family Gold.”
“I have never had a day I didn’t love going to work,” Beets said in a 2021 interview with Hook & Barrel about his 37-year-long career. “Finding gold and the challenges of it. I couldn’t want anything better than that.”