03x07 - North Carolina Gold

[bunniefuu]

- NARRATOR: Tonight...
- Let's get some gold, baby!

- Yes!
- On Beyond Oak Island...

The American Gold Rush actually
started in North Carolina.

- Wow.
- Oh, my gosh.

Tim and Ross Fisher found
a massive gold dredge

- on their property.
- What's your estimate?

There's two billion dollars'
worth of gold.

- It's like Christmas, guys.
- Let's open some presents.

- TIM: See anything, Ross?
- MATTY: You think that's gold?

- Yeah, it's gold.
- No way!

- I can't believe it.
- Ahh!

[laughing]

- [whoops]
- Yes!

All the while we
were growing up,

my brother and I were
fascinated with finding treasure.

RICK: Pirate treasure,

cursed treasure.

Civil w*r gold.

-[laughter] -Since then,
our work on Oak Island

has shown us there's
a world of mysteries...

- Whoa.
- Waiting to be explored.

RICK: So, we like to reach
out to other treasure hunters.

X marks the spot,
right there. Brilliant.

- MARTY: We want to hear their stories...
- That's right.

- And share our insights.
- "Ill-gotten gains."

- RICK: And who knows...
- GARY: I got it.

Maybe we can help
them with their search.

MARTY: Not only in America.

Wow. That is gold.

- RICK: But all over the world.
- Yeah!

MARTY: Beyond Oak Island.

MATTY: You know,
the reason I called you

in the w*r room today is
because I wonder how you guys

- are gonna react to this word.
- All right.

Gold.

Oh, baby. [chuckles]

Who reacts any
different to that word?

Say the word "treasure,"

what's the first word
that comes to your mind?

- Gold.
- Gold.

There you go.

I'm gonna cut to the chase.

Because I've always
thought of the '49er,

San Francisco, the Gold Rush,
you know, an old prospector

with a pickaxe and a pan, right?

- Mm-hmm.
- Well, I've come to learn

recently that that's
not even close

to the whole story in America,

and that the Gold Rush

actually started
in North Carolina.

In fact, not only did it
start in North Carolina,

every bit of gold that went to
the U.S. Treasury domestically

from 1804 to 1828 was
found in North Carolina.

- Wow.
- I didn't know that.

NARRATOR: The first
great era of gold mining

in the United States began

under the most unlikely
of circumstances...

When a young boy
made a chance discovery

near Charlotte, North
Carolina, in 1799.

BALDWIN: A 12-year-old
boy named Conrad Reed

went fishing one
afternoon on his family farm,

and he stumbled across
a 17-pound nugget.

At the time, he didn't
know what he had.

He brought it home, showed
it to his father, John Reed.

And John obviously didn't
know what he had, either,

because he used that
nugget for a doorstop.

And for about five years,
that nugget stayed in his home,

behind a door, until a jeweler

saw what he had and
offered him some money for it.

He ended up paying $3.50,

which was valued about
$66 in today's money,

for that 17-pound,


NARRATOR: Although
John Reed was not paid

what the 17-pound golden
nugget was worth in 1799,

which was approximately $5,000,

he soon found another
one on his property

weighing an
astonishing 28 pounds.

The discovery spread
in the local newspapers,

leading to many
farmers in the area

becoming part-time gold miners

and searching the rivers
and streams on their land

throughout the state.

By 1804, so much gold
was being recovered

that a wave of highly skilled
Cornish miners from England

emigrated to the United States,

sparking the nation's
first gold rush.

BALDWIN: At the
peak of the gold mining

in North Carolina,
there were 600 mines

all the way through
seven or eight counties.

In fact, there was so
much gold being produced

that a branch of the government
built a mint in Charlotte

just for those gold coins.

Stories are fanciful

of just reaching your
hand into a riverbed

and pulling up huge
nuggets of gold.

To a growing nation,
those types of stories

are irresistible.

Finding gold wasn't luck.

It was a combination
of art and science.

NARRATOR: Gold mining in
both North and South Carolina

would produce
millions of dollars in gold

over the next half century,

until the California Gold
Rush began in 1848,

which spurred
many skilled miners

to pick up and head west

in search of new
and greater fortunes.

BALDWIN: The
North Carolina mines

operated for around 100 years.

And in my opinion, there's still

millions of dollars'
worth of gold

just waiting to be discovered.

There was a gold rush
before the Gold Rush

in North Carolina, someplace
I've been many times,

but never knew that history.

And I stumbled
across this article

about a family, Tim
and Ross Fisher.

- Okay.
- And these guys...

- Father-son?
- Father-son.

They found a giant,
massive gold dredge

on their property, and
they are uncovering it

and basically trying to make
it almost like a living museum,

but also, they're finding
gold on that property.

- Mm-hmm.
- MATTY: So, they are finding gold

in the dredge itself.

-Hm. -Remnants of the gold.

And they are more
than eager to talk to us,

if you guys want to
try and find some gold.

MARTY: Well, it
sounds interesting.

- Sounds real interesting.
- Right?

RICK: Different sort
of approach, isn't it?

Well, let's talk to him.

Yeah? Let's hunt some gold!

- Yeah.
- North Carolina style.

North Carolina gold.

Let's go to the
South, gentlemen.

And there they are.

[overlapping greetings]

- What's up, guys?
- Hey, how's it going?

Well, it's Matty Blake here,

and I have Rick and
Marty Lagina with me.

I know we spoke via
email, but could you fill us in

on what exactly you
found on your property,

and what's happening now?

Sure, I would say
probably seven years ago

we purchased some land.

It was gold mine land in
Nash County, North Carolina.

We paid a bit of
money for this land.

We knew it was gold mine
land, but we got picked on...

Yeah, part of that's a valley,
and it's just, you know...

- Swampy land.
- It's not really the best place

to buy land. It's
like, well, you know...

- We're gonna do it anyways.
- We're gonna buy it anyway.

So, we bought it,
and the funny thing is,

two years later,
then we discovered

this big dredge and all
that, and we had no idea.

And the same people
that were talking junk,

they wanted to come
down and get a tour.

- Yeah.
- Yes.

- That's the way it works.
- MATTY: Yeah.

My name's Tim Fisher,

and I'm from Nashville,
North Carolina.

And Ross Fisher, my son.

Me and my dad
are gold prospectors,

treasure hunters.

The Indiana Jones of
North Carolina, if you will.

TIM: We discovered
a dredge in 2019.

It was like
uncovering a painting.

It was like... It just
was staggering.

NARRATOR: The dredge,
which was constructed

in the early 1900s,
is actually a ship

that was designed to
float in shallow water

while scooping soil
into compartments.

These collected
materials were then sifted

through an onboard sluice

to separate fine gold
from the sediment.

Abandoned around 1912,
over time the vessel sank

into the mud, where
it was preserved

until the Fishers
discovered it in 2019.

TIM: This dredge had
been lost for 100 years.

But we do know
that there's still

quite a lot of gold in it.

We are finding gold in there.

You know, it's small
gold, but it's a lot of it.

It's just taking us more time.

Our ultimate plan for
this whole crazy thing

that we're doing, is we
want to dig this dredge up.

We would like to turn it
into more like a museum.

We're preserving a piece
of the past for people to see,

so telling the story.

- That's the true treasure to us.
- Yeah, true.

Where are you guys right now,

in terms of your efforts
to uncover this dredge?

How much have you done?

Well, we've got half of
the dredge uncovered.

- On top.
- To where you can see

the footprint real clear.

- Okay.
- The timbers.

So, we're just getting started.

And the crazy
thing about all this

is this dredge is buried
three feet underground.

It's 94 feet long,
it's 32 feet wide.

- Geez.
- That's big.

- Wow.
- We've built this crane

to get to the lower
sections of the dredge

to get the material
out where we can find

a lot of the bigger gold,
more gold, and possibly...

- Artifacts, yeah.
- Artifacts.

There's obviously...
And no pun intended...

You know, it's
rich history here.

So, you must have
thought about, you know,

how much... I'll call
them gold reserves...

Still are in the area.
What's your estimate?

Just in the area, there's
two billion dollars' worth

of gold sitting right now.

- Still in there.
- Billion.

Not million, billion.

-[chuckling] -He wants
to be clear on that.

And that's not including
probably what's in

those tailing piles,
those dredge piles.

There's acres of dredge
piles that's never been touched,

ten feet deep,
that there's gotta be

some good gold in there.

NARRATOR: As the
dredge traversed the land,

digging as deep as


finer materials
were sifted for gold.

However, much of the
sediment and large rocks

were immediately
ejected from the vessel,

forming large piles.

They wouldn't
catch all the big gold.

Anything that was
quarter-inch or bigger than that

got shot right out of the back.

So, your big, chunky nuggets
got thrown right out the back.

So, they lost a
lot of good gold.

I think there's a lot of
good stuff back there.

So, what's your...
What's your plan?

Obviously, you want to
recover some of this gold

that's overlooked.

Are you interested
in us kinda helping out

a little bit on this? 'Cause
this sounds really cool.

We... we need some
expertise, some advice.

We know you guys have been
doing digging for a long time,

and you know, whatever
you guys can do to help us out,

man, I tell you, it
would be a blessing.

We-we really
could use your help.

I'm intrigued enough
to suggest this.

Matty, you'd be...
You're up for it, right?

- Oh, of course.
- He's good with a shovel.

- Yeah.
- But then, isn't there

another component
to this when you search

those old tailings piles,

there's stuff that
might be left there.

- That's right.
- We know it's there for a fact.

- They need a metal detector.
- Definitely.

Why don't we send Matty
and a metal-detecting expert

along with him?

He can do the first sort of
interaction with you guys,

and then we can go from there.

I mean, it sounds like
a real interesting thing.

MATTY: I do know
the metal detectorist,

and she's good.

She knows her coins, she
knows her precious metals.

Why don't we put
her on your team?

- Okay.
- MARTY: If she's willing, of course.

I think she's more
than willing, yeah.

All right, let's just
get after it, then.

- What do you say?
- I'm ready, guys.

I-I can't wait to see you guys.

You'll have a Yankee
down in the South.

- I'd love to look for some gold with you.
- We will, come on!

[laughter]

All right, go dig
up a dredge, Matty.

RICK: Go dig up some gold.

Well, we made it,
Nikoline, we're here.

I know. It's so
beautiful down here.

Two New Englanders in the South.

- Let's go.
- [chuckles] All right.

NARRATOR: In Nash
County, North Carolina,

Matty Blake and
metal detection expert

Nikoline Bohr are
heading to the property

of father and son
treasure hunters

Tim and Ross Fisher to
help them search for gold

believed to be contained on
a 19th-century mining dredge.

Out of your list of ethics,
like, what's your golden rule?

If you had to pick one, like,
when you're treasure hunting,

- what's the number-one golden rule, do you think?
- Uh...

I think the most important,

and probably the
least talked about

is respecting the history
that you're hunting for.

Yes. Your love of history

- is really palpable.
- Mm-hmm.

And I know that Rick and
Marty really appreciate that.

- Yes.
- How are you feeling

about finding gold in
the next couple days?

Excited, thrilled.

NARRATOR:
Originally from Denmark,

Nikoline Bohr has spent
the last seven years

living on Nantucket
Island in Massachusetts.

While searching
colonial-era sites

along the Eastern Seaboard,

she has made numerous
historic and valuable discoveries.

NIKOLINE: Most people
think of a treasure hunter

as someone who is
going out there to get rich

as fast as they can.

For me, treasure hunting
is a little bit different.

For me, treasure is
anything that begins

or continues to tell the story

of the land that it's on...

That can further our
understanding of the past.

Oh, looks like we're here.

Yeah, right over here.

You know, something I've
learned on all these adventures

is that you have to put
the right team together

to have success.

And Nikoline is a great
addition to this team.

She knows her coins, she
knows her precious metals.

And today, we're
hopefully gonna strike gold,

so I'm excited.

Here we go.

- MATTY: Tim.
- What's up, guys?

- Good to meet you in person.
- Good to see you

- not on the computer screen.
- Yeah, Tim Fisher, yeah.

- Ross Fisher.
- Hello.

- Hey, Ross, Matty Blake.
- Nice to meet you, yes, sir.

- Good to meet you.
- Tim, good to meet you guys.

Well, this is incredible.

TIM: Yeah, you won't
believe what you're gonna see

just through those woods, man.

We're gonna look at
some virgin territory here?

- Absolutely.
- Oh, yeah.

It's never been seen by
man in 115, 117 years.

So, we're gonna
find a lot of gold.

If it's there, we're
gonna find it.

- All right, let's get geared up.
- All right.

- We'll see ya.
- Let's go.

MATTY: I'm getting a
sense that both Tim and Ross

are super proud of
what they've built.

- MATTY: Here we go, hold on tight.
- Awesome.

And they almost can't wait
for us to get into the camp

and see this dredge,

and see exactly what
they've put together.

If I was on vacation
around here,

I would come... I would pay
money just to do this part.

- Oh, yeah!
- Right?

Totally.

Wow.

MATTY: Hold on tight.

I think this is it.

Oh, wow, look at that!

- Holy moly!
- NIKOLINE: That is incredible.

TIM: Come on down
and check it out, guys.

Come on aboard, as it were. Heh.

- There you go.
- Wow. Oh, my gosh!

- NIKOLINE: Wow!
- MATTY: Look at that.

TIM: Man, the difficulty
in excavating this dredge

is quite enormous.

Most people would
think, "Man, you're crazy."

In our excavation, we want
to do things the right way.

So, a lot of it has to
be hand-dug, you know.

So, yeah, it's a lot
of time investment

- in this project.
- Yeah, a lot.

TIM: So, we had
to do the crazy thing

of trying to dig this thing up,

as you see how big
this job is gonna be.

All this material
has to be taken out,

and we're doing
most of it with, uh...

You know, we're
using basically shovels.

We've got an excavator,
we've got a couple of backhoes.

And a home-built crane.

TIM: Yeah, we
had to build a crane,

and the reason for that is,

we couldn't reach
over far enough

to pull that material out
without causing a lot of damage.

Is that a refurbishing, or
did you make it old-timey...

No, all homemade,
yeah, our crew did it.

- Scrap metal.
- Yeah, all from scratch.

MATTY: All fabricated,
all with passion, I love it.

You've got to, I mean,
they don't build stuff

to do stuff like this,

'cause who comes and
does this, you know?

MATTY: Right, you gotta
invent it as you go, right?

Absolutely.

MATTY: I gotta tell you,
this crane that I'm looking at

is one of my favorite
things I've ever seen

in all the years
I've been doing this.

This is straight
out of Dan Henskee

working for Dan
Blankenship ingenuity.

I'm-I'm really impressed.

This whole team represents
what people can do

when you have a common
goal and you're committed to it.

So, I need to
show you our next...

[chuckles] ...invention,

or put-together piece that's...

We call it Franken-sluice,
come check it out.

- Did he say Franken-sluice?
- Franken-sluice.

Oh, I'm so in.

Check it out, guys, it's all
very much a Franken-sluice.

As you can see, it's all made
from pieces here and there.

A trash can that we cut in half.

- No way!
- It works!

- Huh!
- That's where you put your trash.

A light fixture cover, a
windshield wiper motor.

But you know what, it
works, and it's pretty quiet.

It's a stealthy little
machine. I'll show you.

Look, we cranked the pumps
up just to give you an idea.

- Let me get the pumps going.
- [water splashing]

MATTY: What is
this, is this PVC?

- Whoa!
- That's PVC.

Yeah, PVC pipe. And
then, we're gonna spin it.

- Huh!
- MATTY: You guys are awesome.

- NIKOLINE: Brilliant.
- MATTY: Just awesome.

NARRATOR: The dirt
and rocks that are shoveled

into the Franken-sluice
are fed directly

into a rotating trommel,
where they are sorted

according to weight under
a steady stream of water.

Larger rocks and
soil are discarded

out of the end of
the contraption,

while heavier
materials, such as gold,

fall through the grates

and are captured
in the sluice boxes.

Oh! Franken-sluice! It says it.

[overlapping chatter]

Who came up with
the name? I gotta ask.

- ROSS: Oh, yeah.
- MATTY: Awesome.

I would recommend
trademarking that.

[laughing]

This is an incredibly
ingenious thing they've built

out of literally trashcans
and lighting fixtures.

They don't have
a lot of resources,

and yet they've
built these things

to help them do this
massive undertaking.

Well, uh, I want to see some
gold coming out of this thing.

- Yeah.
- Let's do it.

- All right.
- ROSS: So, the plan for the day

is to start getting to the
lower parts of the ship

we haven't been
able to get into before.

- I'm excited.
- Yeah, me, too.

Crank up old Franken-sluice,

maybe we can find
some shiny in there.

The team is here. These
guys here have been

with me since the beginning,
supported me all through it.

This is Fellowship
of the Dig South.

TIM: That's right.

All right, Ross, I
guess you and Matty

will be in the dredge
getting the good stuff, I hope,

and seeing what you can find.

Nikoline will be
working up top here

trying to get the
pay into the buckets

so that we can get
it to the wash plant

and we can start
running some material.

Awesome Let's find some gold.

- Let's.
- Let's do it.

MATTY: So, the strategy
now is to use the crane

to dig out this
targeted area they have

that they've yet to search.

Based on their
research, they feel like

there could be
gold in this area.

So, we're gonna
just do small piles

into that crane
barrel, lift them out,

and start the search that way.

A very targeted,
systematic approach.

Clear.

Yeah, clear. It's all yours.

TIM: There she goes.

We need to run the
old Franken-sluice

and see what's in there.

Yeah, let's see what we got.

MATTY: To get my hands on
gold would be really incredible,

because I've been
talking about it

for just about a
decade now, right?

And dreaming about
it since I was a kid

and I read Treasure Island.

Let's fire this
green machine up.

MATTY: So, to see a
piece of gold in the wild,

in a real hunt... I don't
know how I'll react.

Just, uh... there's a
shovel up there, Frank.

You may just want to
shovel it in kinda easy

and let it run through.

See anything, Ross?
Any metal or anything?

ROSS: Nothing yet.
No big pieces of nugget.

TIM: See a lot of rock in there.

NIKOLINE: Yeah.

You know, we're looking
for gold, of course,

we're looking for
any glass objects

that would have been in there.

Um, metal, any type of
metal. And a lot of wood.

He's seeing bits
and pieces of wood

where the ship's just,
you know, decaying,

and you'll see wood
in there, as well.

Yeah.

All right, I'm
gonna shut her off,

and, uh, we'll clean up.

ROSS: We'll clean it up.

Come on, baby.

- NIKOLINE: Yeah, I know.
- TIM: Yes, siree.

TIM: Yeah, just look and
see if you're seeing anything.

'Cause the sunshine's
in a good spot right now.

Man, I see a lot
of yellow rocks,

- but not... nothing shiny.
- Yeah, I know, it makes you

- wonder if that's what it is.
- I know, it throws you.

Ooh, how 'bout
this? What's that?

- Where, where, where?
- What's that right there?

- Oh, what's this?
- Show me.

- What is this?
- Is that gold?

NIKOLINE: Whoa!

MATTY: What's that right there?

- Oh! What's this?
- Show me.

- What is this?
- You think that's gold?

NIKOLINE: That's pyrite.

TIM: No, it ain't,
that ain't pyrite.

- Is that gold?
- Yeah, it's gold.

- No way!
- I can't believe it.

Ah!

- Can't believe it.
- [whoops]

NARRATOR: In Nash
County, North Carolina,

while searching an abandoned


on property belonging
to treasure hunters

Tim and Ross Fisher,
Matty Blake has just made

an incredible discovery.

MATTY: The sun
hit it literally just right,

and it shone right in my eye.

- Come on, baby.
- It's big, right?

Come on, baby!

MATTY: I mean, I lost my mind.

I've never reacted
so emotionally

for something so small, I think,
since maybe my son was born.

TIM: You got good
eyesight, brother.

Come on, baby!

It's an incredible excitement.

I challenge you
to go pan for gold,

and I don't care
if it's that big.

When you find it, you
will freak out like I did.

NIKOLINE: That's awesome.

That's what they call foil gold.

- Yeah.
- It's just another form of a nugget.

It looks like foil, yeah.

- NIKOLINE: It's beautiful.
- ROSS: Exactly what it is.

That's... that's very rare.

We've been here seven years

and we've never
found foil gold like this.

- Not flat gold, that's right.
- NIKOLINE: Crazy.

- There's gold there, I mean, no doubt.
- Yes.

And there's probably
a good bit of gold there.

Yeah, we're just
scratching the surface,

so it looks like good
days are ahead.

NIKOLINE: Let's
see if there's more.

Keep looking, yeah,
that's what I'm saying.

NIKOLINE: Yeah, if
there's one, there's many.

MATTY: Oh, boom, boom!

- NIKOLINE: No way!
- MATTY: I'm telling you.

TIM: That's crazy,
check that out.

Care to add it to
the vial, my friend?

Absolutely.

Spotting gold is
always a warm, fuzzy,

delicious feeling.

- Here's some.
- [cheering]

MATTY: More gold!

NIKOLINE: Since it
was just the first load

out of the dredge,
it is inevitable

that there'll be more gold.

The question is only
how much more gold?

Look at there, right
there in the pan.

- NIKOLINE: Beautiful.
- TIM: Look at that.

- MATTY: Oh, that looks nice!
- TIM: Doesn't that look good?

NIKOLINE: Yeah, it does.

That moment right there makes
every single second worth it.

That's why we're doing
this. It's fun, you know?

- Now, let's find some more gold.
- TIM: Yeah, let's do it.

So, you want to roll this
magic carpet up right here.

We need to rinse this
thing out really well.

It's kinda like washing
clothes in the old-timey days.

- MATTY: Yeah.
- All right, next step,

we need to pan out our material.

Just put some
in there like that.

Here's all there is to
it, you just roll it around.

You just keep
working it like this,

and you're getting
that material out.

Now, that gold's gonna stay.

If it's there, it's
gonna be in there.

MATTY: 'Cause it's gonna
be at the bottom anyway.

- It's gonna be at the bottom.
- MATTY: 'Cause it's heavy.

All right, so you're
getting the material out.

TIM: Watch this.

You can make gold
walk right up this gold pan.

You can hold it up like
this, and if you tap it...

- See it climbing? Look.
- MATTY: Wow, yeah!

- TIM: There's gold right there.
- Boom.

- TIM: Right there.
- NIKOLINE: Oh, I see.

MATTY: It's like a magic trick.

TIM: It's magic, all
right. Y'all try it out.

- NIKOLINE: I love that.
- We've got gold pans.

- NIKOLINE: Okay, okay.
- Give it a shot.

So, back in the day, they
didn't have plastic, obviously.

They... what'd they use?

- They had metal pans.
- Metal with...

No ripples in
it, it was all flat.

MATTY: And they
would just use their skill.

ROSS: That's right.

MATTY: I had never
panned for gold before,

and it was a little more
complicated than I thought.

TIM: Shake it
around a little bit.

- ROSS: Yeah, don't be scared.
- Don't be scared.

It's gonna get messy.

MATTY: You're using
the fact that the gold

is going to be heavier than
everything else in the pan.

So, the way you
move it, everything else

slowly just silts away.

Here's some.

TIM: Man, that's a
nice piece of gold there.

NIKOLINE: That's
a good one, right?

And what you'll be left
with is that top layer of gold,

and it's beautiful.

TIM: You see, there it is.

Clean water, and a clean gold.

- NIKOLINE: Oh, nice!
- MATTY: Wow.

And then, what's
the process now?

You've got the day's
yield. What do you do next?

We collect all the small pieces,
and we just put it all together.

Once we get a
decent amount of gold,

we'll do the smelting.

- You smelt it yourself?
- Yes.

- Wow. Wow.
- TIM: We'll do it ourselves.

We've got a small operation.

So, this, in this pan,
turns into about what?

TIM: Probably bring $400, $500.

- Somewhere in that neighborhood.
- NIKOLINE: Wow.

And although we worked hard,
we didn't dig that much earth.

We didn't move that much earth,

there's two guys with
two shovels, right?

So, I mean, I assume
you're gonna continue

- in that area.
- Yes.

We're very excited and
happy with the amount of gold

that we found today.

I mean, it lets you know
that you're in the right spot.

Maybe we could say
who's laughing now.

Yeah. [laughing]

What are we gonna
do next, tomorrow?

TIM: Well, we need
to hit the dredge piles,

the stuff that the gold...
They didn't think was in,

like bigger rocks,
went right out the back.

We know they've
never been touched.

- Wow.
- So, what we'll do,

is we'll spread the rocks back
and get some detecting done.

See what you can find.

Set her loose and go
from flakes to nuggets.

I mean, I can't... we
could just... I could go

right now, and you guys could
just join me in the morning.

- MATTY: All right.
- See you tomorrow.

- She'll be out here all night.
- NIKOLINE: I'm ready.

Thank you guys so much,

and we'll see you
in the morning.

Yeah, we're excited,
we'll show you more.

- MATTY: Let's go.
- Shall we hike back to camp?

- MATTY: Yes, sir.
- TIM: The long walk.

MATTY: Ooh, my weary bones.

- Hello, Matty Blake.
- RICK: Hey, Matty.

This must be Nikoline with you.

MATTY: Hello, fellas.

New face here, as you know.

-Hi. -Nikoline.

Welcome to the team.

How was your
first day on the hunt

in North Carolina?

I'm so happy to be here.

It's such an honor
to be invited out.

Getting out
there, getting dirty.

By the way, the dirt
here is incredible.

- It's full of gold.
- BOTH: Oh!

- Hey, fellas, I found gold!
- Yeah!

[laughter]

- NIKOLINE: Lots of gold!
- Yes, we did it.

I mean, we finally did it.

And even though it
was just a little piece...

It was a substantial
little piece.

[laughter]

You know, all kidding
aside, guys, it was a thrill.

I can see why there
was a gold rush.

- Mm-hmm.
- I can see why people

get addicted to this.

So, what's the
plan for tomorrow?

Well, I think he
wants to take us

to these dredge piles.

And Tim is
incredibly optimistic.

So, I think tomorrow's
gonna be even better.

Matty Blake knows
what I'm gonna say next.

I always say it
to Gary, Nikoline,

so it's not just to you.

Good job finding stuff.
Now, get back out there

and find some other good stuff.

- You got it.
- RICK: Just as important,

please keep us up-to-date
with whatever you find.

All right, guys,
we'll check in soon.

- NIKOLINE: Bye, guys.
- Bye, thanks.

- MARTY: Take care.
- RICK: Stay tuned.

MATTY: That was
a great first day.

Yes, that was amazing yesterday.

- Finding that gold?
- Yes.

NARRATOR: One day
after discovering gold

on a 19th-century mining dredge

in Nash County,
North Carolina...

MATTY: Hopefully,
today we will find a nugget

- of American history.
- Ooh, I like that.

NARRATOR: Matty
Blake and Nikoline Bohr

are heading back to the property

of treasure hunters
Tim and Ross Fisher

to help them search
for more riches

and historic artifacts.

- What's up, guys?
- What's going on?

Good to see you
again. Glad you're back.

- Good morning.
- So glad to be back.

TIM: We'll find
the big stuff today.

We will be in the dredge piles.

They've never been touched.

- MATTY: That's exciting.
- That's really exciting.

TIM: Let's get some gold, baby!

- Let's go!
- Yes!

MATTY: We're coming
off a day of finding gold,

so the energy's
as high as it's been

on anything I've
ever been a part of.

You can just feel
the excitement.

- Hold on tight.
- NIKOLINE: All right.

MATTY: There
could be untold riches

in those piles, no doubt.

TIM: All right, we're here.

All right.

Check it out, guys.

You know I was telling
you about the tailing piles?

You can look and tell
it's never been touched.

MATTY: Uh-uh.

- NIKOLINE: It's incredible.
- TIM: If you rake back

anywhere in here, you'll see.

Look at all this rock.
See right there? Look.

- Oh, yeah.
- MATTY: Incredible.

- That all come off the dredge.
- Huh.

- Coarse rocks.
- Nice.

NARRATOR: More
than a century ago,

as the dredge traversed the land

processing soil in
order to filter out gold,

large chunks of
sediment and rocks

were immediately discarded
out of the vessel's back end,

creating piles that were
generally overlooked

when searching for
potential valuables.

MATTY: What's the plan today?

Uh, I'll get on the backhoe,
we'll move some material back...

- MATTY: Okay.
- So we can open up some ground, you know.

- Okay.
- TIM: And like I say, you know,

all these years, 100 years,
it's not been touched, guys.

- Yay.
- This is just like...

Just like Christmas,
guys, come on.

- Yes.
- Let's open some presents.

- All right.
- Let's go to digging.

[engine starts]

TIM: To excavate
the dredge pile,

we're gonna be using a
small, compact backhoe

that we've got where we can get
in and out easily and maneuver.

We know that there's
a good possibility

that they're ten feet deep.

So, it looks like, you
know, a lot of rock,

and it's never been touched.

A lot of material,
a lot of opportunity

to find some gold,
some artifacts,

- some pieces of history.
- Yep.

MATTY: He's pretty
nifty with that thing.

Oh, yeah, he's
real good with 'em.

Can we jump in here, or...?

- All you.
- Let's go.

From Nantucket to North
Carolina, here you go.

The plan is to have
Nikoline do a pattern search,

a grid search with
the metal detector.

And there still could be
huge chunks of gold in there,

so hopefully, if
anyone can do it,

it'll be Nikoline.

The more we spread it out,
the easier it's gonna be, right?

TIM: Yes, so we'll
thin it out a little bit...

- Let's look over here.
- See what you can find.

[detector beeping]

NARRATOR: To
search the dredge piles,

Nikoline is using an
XP DEUS metal detector

featuring a specialized coil.

The device will emit
specific tone signals

for ferrous metals,
such as iron,

and non-ferrous
ones, such as gold.

NIKOLINE: The Deus II,

which is a
multi-frequency detector.

It can just ping on tiny
little pieces of metal,

and it is always on target.

[beeping]

Oh, do you hear this?

[beeping]

TIM: Oh, yeah, I can hear it.

Like you're on something.

There you go. That's solid.

TIM: All right.

Well, it's definitely
not ferrous.

You got a hit over
there, Nikoline?

- [beeping]
- There it is.

She's definitely onto something.

Yeah.

- [beeping]
- NIKOLINE: Ooh!

- TIM: I sure hear it.
- Yeah.

All right, it... it sounds solid.

I think... can we
try panning this?

- Just like...
- Sure.

It's important for
us to save this dirt.

If we're getting some readings
that seem to be promising,

we usually take bags with us,

and we'll just
take that material...

- Right.
- We'll put it in a bag.

That way, we can
pan it and process it.

- MATTY: Come on, gold.
- NIKOLINE: This is exciting.

The suspense.

What we're gonna do is
get a little water in here.

See the black sand up there?

It's definitely
black sand in there.

NIKOLINE: The black sand
forms alongside the gold,

and it is of a similar weight.

So, when you're panning,

and you begin to get
rid of all that excess dirt

and clay that is in there, you
begin to see the black sand.

So, once you begin
to see that black sand,

you know you are going
to be seeing the gold next.

Let's try this one more time

and get a little bit
of the dirty stuff out.

How 'bout that one right there?

That one looks...

TIM: I believe you're right.
Look right there, the very top.

- See it right there?
- MATTY: Oh, my...

NIKOLINE: Wow!

- [cheering]
- NIKOLINE: Yay!

- TIM: Good eyesight, girl.
- NIKOLINE: We did it.

Can you see it? Look
right up there at the top.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- See it?

- ROSS: Yeah, that's gold.
- NIKOLINE: Is it?

- ROSS: Yeah, that's gold.
- NIKOLINE: Yay!

TIM: It's like micro
gold, you know,

it'll be really, really
fine stuff in there.

- That's right, girl!
- Good panning!

- MATTY: Holy moly.
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: In Nash
County, North Carolina,

while searching spoils from
a 19th-century gold dredge,

Matty Blake and Nikoline Bohr

have just made another
incredible discovery

with local treasure hunters
Tim and Ross Fisher.

This team, in a very
short amount of time,

in two locations with
a very small search,

found gold twice.

So, what are their
prospects? Real good.

So, that also proves that when
they were running the dredge

and getting fine
gold off of there,

- they didn't get it all.
- MATTY: They weren't getting everything.

- They didn't.
- So, not only the big nuggets,

but any of the fine
gold that did happen

to slip through their
cracks, which, of course,

- some would have to.
- ROSS: Yeah.

TIM: We're after all the gold,

and we know it's locked
in that clay, some of it.

Gotta be.

ROSS: We dug a big hole,

but the fact that
we found gold there,

and we only panned
that amount of material?

- MATTY: Right.
- There's gonna be so much more.

I mean, look at all
this land you have.

- Just gotta keep digging.
- That's right.

'Cause like you've said before,

like, the little
pieces add up, right?

When you... when you smelt them.

That's right. That
little bit of gold

adds up to, like, a
nice chunk of gold.

Could we see that, is that
something we could watch?

- Yeah, I think we should do it.
- Really?

- Let's smelt some gold.
- Yeah.

We've got some, we've got some

that you guys have
caught, let's measure that.

- I would love to see that.
- I would love to see it.

- Let's do that.
- Let's do it, guys.

MATTY: So, another
successful day, more gold.

So, right now, the plan is,
they're gonna take the gold

that we found and show us
how they turn this fine gold

into something solid.

Check it out, this is
some of y'all's caught gold.

This is so cool.

- There's your gold.
- Wow.

There it was, remember it?

All right, so what
we're gonna do

is put our wonderful
gold right in there.

MATTY: So, this is the crucible?

- TIM: That's the crucible.
- Okay.

- That's right.
- Geez.

All right, set it in there.

Sure we're not summoning
a spirit or something?

- Look at that.
- Whoa!

TIM: It's gotta
get 2,000 degrees.

MATTY: How'd you
learn how to do this?

A lot of trial and error.

- Really?
- Yes.

You guys are
awesome. No, I'm ser...

That's why I ask, 'cause
everything you guys do

is homemade, you're finding
out how to do it yourselves,

you're making it
yourselves. I just love it.

These guys are exactly
the type of treasure hunters

we want to align with, you know?

They won't stop. If they
have to build something

out of garden
hose, they'll do it

to make this happen.

And I love that
spirit, I do. I love it.

TIM: See, it's
changing in there.

MATTY: Looks like
it's turning into the sun.

Let's... let's see
what we got here.

All right, here we go.

See how hot that is? [laughing]

MATTY: Whoa, look
at the crucible itself.

- TIM: She is red-hot.
- NIKOLINE: Yeah, look out.

- [all exclaiming]
- TIM: You missed it.

- It's okay.
- That's all right.

There's your gold right there.

MATTY: It's so discolored now.

ROSS: Yes, so now we
need to tap it with a hammer.

TIM: You chisel
off the impurities.

Just like that.

- MATTY: Oh, there it goes.
- TIM: There we go.

- ROSS: [chuckles] Isn't that something?
- TIM: Put your hand out.

- [sighs] Gold!
- There you go.

- TIM: That's cool, man.
- MATTY: It really is.

I mean, all the work
you do, that is the reward.

And it's awesome to
watch you guys do it.

So, how did it feel
to find that gold,

but then you see it melted?

I think it's just a thrill.

I really do, I think
it's awesome.

Yeah, but we
didn't melt your gold.

- What?
- We saved it.

We couldn't melt
y'all's first gold.

You need to... let's see here.

-Aw! -No way. No way.

We couldn't melt your
first pieces you find.

- No way.
- Couldn't do it, guys. Couldn't do it.

There's the first
piece you found.

- Listen, listen.
- That's so cute.

And there was the
piece that you put in...

- No! Aw!
- There you go, guys.

We couldn't put
that in the fire.

MATTY: Okay, listen.

- Thank you.
- First of all, I'm not gonna cry.

'Cause I get
emotional like Rick.

But I am so touched by this.

But I'm gonna...
I'm gonna beg you.

I will take any memento
you want to give me.

Matter of fact, I
want something, I do.

I wanted to bring something
from here to show people

and say I was here.

But I truly want
you to use this.

I want you to use this,
'cause I've been so impressed

by what you guys have done.

I want you to use this to
help fund what you're doing.

You need it. Your
first piece of gold.

You've got to be
able to walk around

and say, "Look here,
look what I found.

- I picked it out."
- That's our gift.

- That's right.
- It means more to us

- that you can keep that.
- We will find more.

- We will find more of that.
- I'm serious, brother.

This is really special.

With the treasure,
I never presume

that I'm gonna get
to keep any of it, ever.

They could use that
and sell that gold,

and use that money
back in their operation,

but they would not have it.

So, to be handed
this and to say,

"Take it, it's yours," I
mean, that's next-level.

Thank you doesn't seem
enough, but thank you.

- You are certainly welcome.
- Absolutely.

We enjoyed y'all's company.

- Yeah? Can we come back?
- ROSS: Absolutely, please do.

You're welcome back.
Our journey's still going.

You need to come
back to see us, you know.

There's so much more to find.

- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah.

- We found the treasure.
- Yeah, we're finding gold,

and it's a process
that keeps growing

- and getting better.
- Yes.

Every day, there's
new stuff being found.

Every day, there's
new ideas of new tools

and machinery being built.

One day, it'll... a
dream can come true.

- Persistence, my friend.
- That's right.

Well, I'm sure you guys
have some work to do, right?

Yeah, we've got to clean our
tools and things to put away.

All right, let's help you.

All right, let's do it then.

♪ ♪

MATTY: I just could
not get here fast enough.

When I saw that gold,
man, I'll tell you what.

- I lost my mind.
- Really?

I lost my mind.

The lure of gold.

All right, well,
give us details.

We know you found some
gold. What does that mean?

- Well...
- RICK: Oh!

- Top pocket find.
- Top pocket find.

I learned from Gary
Drayton where to keep it.

There you go.

MARTY: Very cool.
Shiny little bugger.

MATTY: And man, it's a thrill.

- Pretty exciting.
- It's a thrill.

MARTY: That's not a bad find.

It's a proof of
concept, is what that is.

- Yeah, yeah.
- That's a proof of concept.

So, what do they want to do?
What are they gonna do next?

Well, I actually have
them standing by,

and I think they have
a couple updates, too.

- Okay.
- I know they want to talk to you

for another
reason, too, but I'll...

- I'll let them explain that.
- MARTY: All right.

- Let's do it.
- Okay, right.

- RICK: Hi, guys.
- MARTY: Hey, Tim. Hey, Ross.

- Hey, how you doing?
- Hey, what's up, guys?

Good to see you again.

Well, guys, what an adventure.

My heart is still in North
Carolina with you boys.

What a time, I just...

I could just say thank
you a million times.

Unbelievable experience.

We hated you left, we
wanted you to stay, man.

We had lots to show you.

Well, I also did a little
messenger service,

and I brought the
package with me

from North Carolina that
you asked me to bring.

- Cool!
- Yeah.

- You ready?
- Yes, hell yeah.

Here you go.

From our new friends

- down South.
- Wow!

MARTY: Geez, didn't expect that.

MATTY: From our new friends

- down South.
- Wow!

One for each of you.

MARTY: Wow.

I see a bunch of gold in here.

Jeez, didn't expect that.

MATTY: And tell
them what it is, fellas.

It is some gold from
our area, off the dredge.

That's authentic, it is real,

as well as a nail or a
spike that they used

to put down the deck boards.

- MARTY: Very cool.
- RICK: Yeah.

And then, there's
a cable off it too?

Is that what I'm looking at?

TIM: Yes. In a dredge pile,

we saw this cable sticking up.

And so, I thought,
how cool would that be

to give you guys a taste?

RICK: This is really cool.

You know what, not many people

have one of
these, I'll tell you.

You're right about that.

-[laughter] -Yeah, I
bet I am, I bet I am.

Have you been doing
any work since I left?

Oh, yeah, yeah,
we've done pretty good.

- Every day.
- We always get some...

I don't know if you
can see it or not.

- There's some gold right there.
- Oh, yeah, we can see it.

Just a few little... a
picker and a nugget.

We've got a vial with some
gold. I know it's hard to see,

- but there's gold in there.
- Oh, no.

We're also working on
a wash plant, you know.

We were just
getting that together,

and we will be able
to run more material...

- Faster.
- Faster,

but to also be
able to separate out

any kind of artifacts,
so that we make sure

- we don't miss any.
- Yes.

You didn't retire
Franken-sluice, did you?

[laughs]

We still got old
Franken-sluice put together.

That's all we've got right now,

but we're working
towards bigger things.

- MARTY: All righty.
- We're trying to find anything

that pertain to
artifacts off the dredge.

That's extremely
important to us.

Is there a way that
that could detected...

Other than just our
metal detectors?

- Yeah, just our metal detectors.
- Oh, yeah.

You'd want... No, you'd
want a magnetometer.

And it could detect
things quite deep.

- On a drone?
- Put it on a drone.

- On a drone.
- Oh, wow, that would be cool.

That would be awesome.

You could actually fly the drone
down inside the compartment.

MATTY: Yes, you could.

We could fix you
up with one, actually.

We got that equipment.

- Wow. Wow, man, that's crazy.
- [laughs]

Awesome.

All righty, it's been
fun interacting with you.

We'd like to get down and
actually maybe drink a beer

or something with you
guys, it'd be really nice.

- Please, come back.
- That'd be awesome.

- Please come back and see us.
- I'm thirsty.

[laughter]

Thank you, guys.
Thank you for everything,

and we'll-we'll be in touch.

- Y'all come back.
- You hear?

- TIM: You hear?
- See ya, take care, guys.

RICK: Thanks, guys.

- This is really cool.
- That's above and beyond.

- Isn't that nice?
- Yeah.

- They are gentlemen.
- MARTY: Yeah, they are.

I hope the sight of
gold in your hands

inspired you a
little bit, maybe.

Yeah, I'd like to hold a
little bit more in my hands.

- Yeah.
- When do we get to this?

RICK: The inspiration
really comes from...

Look, they took a...
Just a dream, an idea,

and look where
they sit, you know?

Yeah, they're having
fun, too, that's great.

It's not just the concept
of what they're trying to do.

It's the fact that they
are both dedicated

- to telling the story.
- Yeah.

Well, let's go find
about 200,000 of these...

- Yeah.
- Right out there.

- All right, Matty Blake.
- Come on.

- Or more.
- The bar is set pretty low.

MATTY: