Activity returns to the frozen north in Gold Rush Season 5. The Hoffmans return to the Yukon at McKinnon Creek. Parker Schnabel returned to Scribner Creek Mine for a second season. Though the Dakota boys have left Gold Rush, Tony Beets, Parker’s land lord, takes on a larger role with his own mining activity.
McKinnon Creek Mine (Hoffman Crew)
63°41′45″N 138°59′49″W
Todd and Jack Hoffman decide to take off for the Klondike on their own but this time they have no crew or land. Pickings are slim, as the Hoffman’s arrive as the mining season is already kicking off, yet they settle on the McKinnon Creek Mine.
The 350-acre McKinnon Creek site is 28 miles south of Dawson—between McKinnon and Montana Creek—and within seven miles of the Quartz Creek claim that the Hoffman crew was mining over season 2 and season 3. The site itself has little water to run the wash plant, so the team relies on a pipe transporting water from Indian River to the claim.
The Hoffmans strike a tough deal, agreeing to share 20% of their earnings to the lease holder, Klondike Gold Corp. Despite the difficult recovery from last seasons debacle, the Hoffman crew mines 1,349 ounces of gold, valued at just over $1.6 million—their most productive season yet.
Learn more about the McKinnon Creek mining region:
- USGS record for Sulphur-Gold Run (within 5.34 miles)
- USGS record for Quartz Creek (within 6.84 miles)
- USGS record for Eureka Creek (within 9.22 miles)
- Overview of mining activity in the Yukon, Canada
Scribner Creek Mine (Parker Schnabel Crew)
63°37′07″N 138°42′29″W
The Parker Schnabel crew returns for another season on Scribner Creek. Last year, Parker set a goal of mining 800 ounces for the season and concluded an extended season with 1,029 ounces. This year, Parker more than doubled his goal, shooting for 2,000 ounces. The crew dug deep and mined 2,538 ounces of gold worth just under $3 million.
Carmacks Mine (Dodge Crew)
With Season 5, Turin and the Dodges return to mine more of the Carmacks coarse gold nuggets. Half way through the season, Turin is lured back to the Hoffman crew with the promise of becoming an equal owner. By the end of the season, the Dodge Crew reached a gold rich alluvial fan where they uncovered large nuggets, including a 2.5-oz nugget.
Eureka Creek Mine (Tony Beets Crew)
63°37′37″N 138°49′13″W
Tony Beets has been a reoccurring character since season 4 when Parker Schnabel began leasing Scribner Creek from him. In season 5, Beets takes a large roll as Gold Rush follows his purchase of a 75 year old dredge—which has been sitting idle for 30 years—for $1 million and transports it from Clear Creek to his own claim at the confluence of Eureka Creek and the Indian River, 2 miles from Quartz Creek Mine. According to notes from the USGS, gold in this deposit is “course, rough, flattened, and concentrated at bedrock.” Season 5 follows the time consuming process of disassembling and reassembling a massive piece of mining machinery and history.
Learn more about the Eureka Creek mining region:
- USGS record for Eureka Creek
- Overview of mining activity in the Yukon, Canada
Learn more about Gold Rush mining sites on our Gold Rush Locations Overview.