According to his biography on the Discovery website, Hoffman was inspired to get into the gold mining business in 2010 following the decline of a previous aviation business he'd attempted. Through it all, the team has been led by Todd Hoffman, whose lofty dreams led to the birth of the show. The show follows a crew filled with diverse personalities as they brave danger and dig for gold all over the world, from Alaska to the rain forests of Guyana, where they searched for diamonds in season 4. Sapphire Specialists, in New York City Since 1939.Discovery's Gold Rush has captivated fans for more than a decade.To learn even more about topics related to precious metals, head over to More Precious Metal Details. The area has also featured dedicated botanical gardens to help preserve regions of the land. While the ultimate source of the gold in the Witwatersrand reef is unknown, the general disposition of the deposits is recognizable and continuous. The continued mining of gold has firmly placed Johannesburg as the economical powerhouse of South Africa. It is also the reason behind the South African currency gaining the moniker of “Rand” in 1961.Ī mine corridor in the Witwatersrand complex. It is the source of over 40% of the gold extracted from the Earth. This massive goldfield is 100 kilometers (60 miles) long and 3.6 kilometers (12,000 feet) deep in certain places. Today, the Witwatersrand reef is part of the “golden arc,” an ancient inland lake containing rich deposits of alluvial gold. The war continued for years through guerrilla warfare until heightened British actions put them at bay. In retaliation, the uitlanders and the British mining interests joined forces to overthrow the Boer government. The Boer farmers denied these “uitlanders” voting rights and mounted heavy taxes on the gold industry. As gold fever crested, the steady influx of foreigners was unsettling to Boer farmers who were already established in the region. In addition to the founding of Johannesburg, the Witwatersrand Gold Rush was a major factor leading to the Second Boer War. Within ten years, the town became the largest in South Africa, growing to be larger than Cape Town, which had been the largest city for over 200 years.Īfrikaner commandos during the Second Boer War (1899–1902).Īs with the California Gold Rush, the Witwatersrand Gold Rush had extensive social and political implications. It took very little time for the local village of Ferreira’s Camp to transform into the Ferreira Township as miners settled in the region hoping to strike gold. Once the news got out, prospectors from all over the world flocked to the area, laying the foundation of the present day metropolis of Johannesburg. Although legends of a South African “ El Dorado” existed among the natives of the area, it was not until 1886, when a poor Australian prospector named George Harrison staked the first claim, that the vast riches of the “Rand” were discovered.Ī view of the farm Langlaagte where gold was discovered in 1886. The Witwatersrand Gold Rush initiated South Africa’s domination of world gold production.