Where there’s gold, leave to the Hoffman’s of “Gold Rush” to find it. Well, they’ll try their best anyway. It was their livelihood, after all. For that reason, they didn’t hesitate to pick up shop and relocate to a different region entirely. Season 7 of the long-running Discovery series followed them as they did exactly that.
And it’s no small feat. For one, the transportation of all their equipment was beyond an inconvenience. On top of that, there’s no telling how that equipment will perform in the new environment. In Hoffman’s case on “Gold Rush,” that new environment took the form of Baker County, Oregon.
It was a massive change of pace from their mining days in the Klondike region of the Yukon Territory in Alaska. Of course, moving away from an area where known gold deposits reside is quite the gamble. Especially considering in Season 6, the year prior, the Hoffmans had their best season yet in Alaska. They hauled in more than 3,000 ounces of the precious metal.
The new location was a claim called the High Bar Mine. It’s located on federal land, and the nature of Todd Hoffman’s deal for access to it is unknown. What we do know is that Hoffman sold his claim in Alaska to help fund the move. The High Bar mining operation itself was apparently owned by a local family named Wirth. Needless to say, they welcomed the attention that “Gold Rush” would bring to Baker County.
And so did Baker County Commissioner Mark Bennett, who told The Baker City Herald as much.
“Any time we can showcase Baker County in a positive light it’s exciting. We’re also focusing on mining, which is basically what the county was founded on, so we’re getting back to our historical roots,” Bennett said.
Season 7 of ‘Gold Rush’ Was a Bit of a Letdown for Team Hoffman
The move to Oregon didn’t pay off. At least, it didn’t in terms of the raw amount of gold Team Hoffman yanked from the ground.
After their best season yet, the Hoffmans were primed for another big year. Alas, Season 7 of “Gold Rush” only saw them haul in a mere 1,100 ounces of gold. Of course, that’s still worth roughly $1.3 million. But Team Hoffman didn’t even clear profit as a crew. Though, Todd made sure to send everyone home with the amounts of gold they were promised.
In the end, Todd Hoffman left his mining days and “Gold Rush” behind following Season 8 of the hit Discovery Channel show.
According to Oregon Live, Hoffman departed the show to pursue a career in TV production, and believe it or not, singing. Fans may be surprised to learn that he does indeed have quite a beautiful voice.
