Better known by his alias Dakota Fred, Fred Hurt was one of the most successful miners in Discovery’s reality series Gold Rush. Apart from the main Gold Rush show, he starred in two spin-off series: White Water and All That Glitters. When he passed away, Fred Hurt had an estimated net worth of $6 million.
Early Life
Hurt was born on July 10, 1943 and grew up in Minot, Dakota. He spent the majority of his time fishing as a youngster. As a result of this, he struggled in school.
Because he loved water activities, Fred got into sports diving and would often visit the coast of Corpus Christi, Texas. This inspired him to start a career as a commercial diver sometime in the 1960s.
However, when he learned that a job in marine biology doesn’t pay much, he quit. Thus, after high school, he studied geology in college, but did not get very far with it either.
Early Career
While working as a diver, Fred gained knowledge on how to execute salvage, mining, and demolition operations underwater. With this, he started his own construction company.
The business was fairly successful, and Hurt ran it for 25 years. He stopped operating the construction firm in 2004 as he chose to retire at 60 years old.
Still, he wasn’t content with doing nothing and the former businessman tried his hand at gold mining. He went to Alaska, but suffered major losses in his early years.
Joining Gold Rush
Fred Hurt and his son, Dustin, became known as the “Dakota Boys” on Gold Rush. In the first season of the show, they were hired by the Hoffman crew at Porcupine Creek.
In season two, Fred purchased Earle Foster’s Porcupine Creek lease and ejected the Hoffmans. This was how he was able to become a regular cast member on the show and hired more men to join the Dakota Boys.
In season five, he left the main series to start a spin-off series titled All That Glitters in 2015. He led his group to find gold in a waterfall. In 2018, he starred in Gold Rush: White Water and also featured in the Amazon Prime Video documentary “Gold Blooded”.
Net Worth and Earnings
It is reported that Dakota Fred made $22,000 per episode on Gold Rush. It can also be assumed that he earned a similar figure on the spin-off series that he appeared in.
Of course, he also earned a substantial amount as the head of a lucrative mining crew. Before this, he earned a significant income running an established construction business. Currently, he has a net worth $6 million.
Personal Life and Death
Fred Hurt has been married three times but there is no information about his first partner. His second wife was an item collector named Lorrayne Hurt and she passed away in 2015.
Hurt married Jennifer Sheets over a year later and the couple don’t have any children together, but Fred has four kids from his previous relationships. One of them is his fellow miner, Dustin.
Sadly, Fred Hurt passed away from brain cancer at 80 years old on July 11 2023. Hurt’s family posted a statement on Facebook revealing he had been battling brain cancer since March 2023. Discovery also shared a homage to his memory.
