A Ledge of Bismuth: Deer Park's Tungsten King Assays Rich
Miners drifting into the Tungsten King hit an eight-foot ledge assaying $1,100 a ton in bismuth, with silver and gold besides.
The tungsten mines at Deer Park promise to be a big proposition. Work was started on the Tungsten King a short time ago, and after drifting 20 feet a ledge of bismuth eight feet wide was struck. This assays $115 in silver, $16 in gold and $1,100 in bismuth. From all appearances this is not only a ledge, but a big dyke of this precious metal. During the construction of this 20 feet of tunnel, eight sacks of tungsten ore were taken out that went over 50 per cent tungsten. This property is owned by parties in Spokane and Newport.—Examiner.
“From all appearances this is not only a ledge, but a big dyke of this precious metal.”
The Tungsten King never became a famous Inland Northwest mine, but the booster math—rich assays, distant owners, a claim that "promises to be a big proposition"—is pure resource-rush logic. The same pattern still shapes debates over mining and who benefits from the minerals under Washington ground.
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