In the 19th Century tungsten was a very brittle metal and considered a useless overburden to miners. But when it was discovered that by heating it to 1950 degrees and mixing it with carbon in a stream of hydrogen gas, the strongest metal in the world is produced. When formed, it is highly pliable and maintains its shape at very high temperatures which made it the perfect choice for lightbulb filaments for a century.
It was the increasing mechanization of war that caused the rush. The Great War was already underway in Europe at this time and both sides began to stockpile tungsten. "Something which could crack concrete and smash armor--or conversely blunt a shell--might just swing the outcome of a war."
As early as June, 1914, 12 miles north of the Hillside mine, Homer Wood and some partners discovered tungsten that was “practically pure.” The strike was 4 feet thick and was “of immense size.” Twenty-five years previous one prospector found tungsten at this location after digging just a shallow hole. He immediately abandoned the site.
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“The tungsten-yielding possibilities of the Tip Top mine (were) duplicated in several other old-time silver mines of that section.” These included Tule Creek and the Turkey Creek areas.
A fine sample of Yavapai tungsten was put on display at a Gurley street store. It “attracted the attention several hundred people, owing to the high value of the metal,” the paper reported.
The Eureka district regularly produced some astonishingly rich ore—over 70% tungsten. It was thought to be some of the purest ever found in America.
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Homer Wood was the mover and shaker during the tungsten rush. Since the announcement of the discovery of his tungsten mine, “he devoted his time, energy and money to their development.” He furnished 70 or more prospectors with the necessary testing gear to find tungsten.
Wood himself did quite well during the tungsten rush. The paper reported that he and his mining partners made the equivalent of $236,000 in today’s dollars with just one shipment in early May, 1916.
Interest in Yavapai county tungsten quickly spread to capitalists back east. A Tungsten Bulletin published by the Arizona State Bureau of Mines had to be reprinted immediately.
One surprise find caused considerable mayhem. In April 1916, cowboys George Marlowe, Ray Hill and Ed Koontz discovered tungsten ore at Camp Wood. By May 5th, “an arrival from the Camp Wood region reported a cowboy stampede to the tungsten field that covers that range country for many miles," the paper reported. "So virulent is the metallic infection that more than 20 employees have quit their jobs for the lure of the metal that has thrown the county into consternation and has settled down to an epidemical condition.”
“Said one cowboy after hearing of the strike by his companion on the range: ‘What’s the use of “bull-dogging” a critter when a few licks with a pick may give one a cinch in getting on top; Marlowe has no more knowledge of mineral than I, and the same rule applies to Hill & Koontz, his...partners.’”
“This sentiment spread like wild fire, and the range bust-up followed.” This sudden loss of range-men came at a most inopportune time when the calves needed branding and marking. Retired cowboys were asked “to get into the saddle again…in this situation of a dire emergency (that) arose without a moment’s warning.”
When America entered the war, the price of tungsten dropped, but recovered enough for the area mines to play out. The days of the tungsten rush in Yavapai county were short but sweet.
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