Western Star Resources Inc. has acquired a 100% interest in the past-producing Eagle Point Tungsten Mine in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, the company announced on June 15, 2026. The property, located in the Granite Pass area of the Little Hatchet mining district, comprises 24 lode mining claims and represents a significant addition to Western Star's portfolio of U.S. tungsten assets.
The Eagle Point mine was active during World War II, shipping approximately 1,800 tons of ore grading about 0.5% WO3. Historical records from the U.S. Bureau of Mines and U.S. Geological Survey indicate that surface trenching across multiple skarn bodies yielded historical estimates of 100,000 to 150,000 tons at similar grades. However, recent sampling by the USGS returned grades as high as 27.6% WO3, suggesting that historical work significantly underestimated the grade potential. The property also contains elevated molybdenum, with one sample returning 0.98% Mo.
“Eagle Point is the kind of asset you build a company around,” said Blake Morgan, CEO and President of Western Star, in the press release. “It brings together everything we look for in one place—high-grade tungsten, a documented production history, eight separate skarn bodies exposed at surface, and a tier-one U.S. jurisdiction—yet it has never once been touched by modern exploration.”
The U.S. government previously recognized the property's potential, entering into a Defense Minerals Exploration Administration contract in the 1950s to fund exploration, but the planned drilling was never executed. Western Star plans to conduct a modern exploration program including drone magnetic surveys, systematic rock-chip and soil geochemical sampling, and UV fluorescence surveying to define drill targets.
Tungsten is classified as a critical mineral in the United States, which currently has no domestic commercial production and relies on imports, with about 85% of global supply controlled by China, according to the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025. The acquisition aligns with recent U.S. government directives to fast-track domestic tungsten projects.
The property is located near State Highway 81, approximately 11.5 miles southwest of Hachita, and has year-round access. The claims are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and drilling is permitted under a standard Notice of Intent.
Western Star acquired the property for C$150,000 cash and 4,000,000 common shares, plus a 1.5% net smelter returns royalty, of which 1.0% can be repurchased for C$1,000,000. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.
The scientific and technical information in the release was reviewed by Jasper Mowatt, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. For more details, refer to the original press release on NewMediaWire.
