Western Star Resources Inc. (CSE: WSR) announced the acquisition of a 100% interest in the past-producing Eagle Point Tungsten Mine in the Granite Pass area of the Little Hatchet mining district, Hidalgo County, New Mexico. The move expands the company’s portfolio of US tungsten assets into a highly prospective district with a documented history of production and government-backed exploration.
The Eagle Point mine was advanced during periods of strategic tungsten demand in the 1950s under a Defense Minerals Exploration Administration (DMEA) contract with the US government. Historical records indicate approximately 1,800 tons of ore were shipped during World War II at a grade of about 0.5% WO3. Surface trenching across multiple skarn bodies yielded historical estimates of 100,000 to 150,000 tons grading approximately 0.5% WO3, though these estimates are historical and should not be relied upon as current resources. Recent sampling by the USGS returned grades of up to 27.6% WO3, suggesting that historical work significantly underestimated the grade potential.
“Eagle Point is the kind of asset you build a company around,” said Blake Morgan, CEO and President of Western Star. “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 US jurisdiction – yet it has never once been touched by modern exploration.”
Tungsten is a designated US critical mineral, essential for defense, aerospace, energy, and advanced manufacturing. The United States currently has no domestic commercial production, with approximately 85% of global supply controlled by China, according to the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025. This acquisition aligns with recent US government directives to fast-track domestic tungsten projects, with federal grants and defense-sector support available for qualifying critical-mineral assets.
The Eagle Point property comprises 24 unpatented lode mining claims covering the historic workings and prospective geology in the Granite Pass area. The deposit is a contact-metamorphic tungsten skarn, where tungsten occurs as scheelite within garnet-rich tactite. Recent USGS sampling returned a peak composite sample of 27.6% WO3 and 0.98% molybdenum, confirming the very high-grade nature of the mineralization at surface. Molybdenum is regarded as a potential economic co-product.
Despite its production history and federal backing, the property has never been tested by modern exploration techniques. The DMEA contract signed in 1955 funded a program of shaft sinking and diamond drilling, but the contract was never executed, leaving principal exploration objectives untested. Western Star plans to conduct a systematic work program including a high-resolution drone magnetic geophysical survey, rock-chip and soil geochemical sampling, and field mapping with UV fluorescence surveying to define drill targets.
“Recent USGS work returned a sample grading more than 27% WO3, with a meaningful molybdenum credit on top, and the deposit was considered prospective enough that the US Government approved and funded an exploration contract over it in the 1950s – one that was never drilled,” Morgan added. “We’re acquiring 24 claims over a system that already produced tungsten and earned Federal backing, in a country with no domestic production and an urgent need to rebuild its supply chain.”
The acquisition was completed for a cash payment of C$150,000 and the issuance of 4,000,000 common shares to the vendors, along with a 1.5% net smelter returns royalty. The company may repurchase 1.0% of the NSR for C$1,000,000. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals.
For business and technology leaders, the Eagle Point acquisition underscores the growing strategic importance of domestic critical mineral projects. As the US seeks to reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains, assets like Eagle Point that combine high-grade mineralization, historical production, and federal backing become pivotal. The untested exploration potential and modern work program could unlock significant value, positioning Western Star as a key player in rebuilding the US tungsten supply chain.
