The $100 Billion Metal Hiding in Idaho’s Ghost Mine

Publisher’s Note: This is a continuation of Wealth Daily’s series The American Wealth Tour. Today, we stop in Idaho to take a look at a legendary mine that was moth-balled in the early 1990s under the Clinton administration. However, two weeks ago, the Trump administration issued an executive order titled “Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production,” which identified the top 10 mineral projects to be fast tracked immediately. The Idaho mine was one of the 10 to be fast-tracked.

Let me explain…

The American Mine That Helped Defeat Hitler!

Buried deep in the jagged peaks of Idaho’s Salmon River Mountains lies one of the most controversial — and potentially invaluable — mining sites in the United States.

A site with a name that evokes mystery and power: Stibnite.

Once, it helped America win a world war.

Today, it could help America win its next one.

Because what lies beneath Stibnite’s windswept slopes isn’t just gold — though there’s plenty of that.

It’s antimony — a rare and critical mineral so vital to U.S. national security that the Pentagon has publicly declared it essential for everything from armor-piercing ammunition to flame retardants and microelectronics.

The only problem?

China controls over 75% of the global antimony supply.

The U.S.? Produces zero.

That’s right. None.

Unless Stibnite comes back online.

How Stibnite Helped Defeat the Nazis

In the 1940s, the U.S. War Department turned to Idaho for help.

The Japanese had overrun antimony-producing regions in Southeast Asia, cutting off Allied access to the metal.

That’s when miners at Stibnite answered the call.

At its peak, Stibnite produced 90% of the antimony used by U.S. forces during World War II, alongside massive quantities of tungsten — another critical war metal.

It’s no exaggeration to say: This mine helped win the war.

When the guns fell silent, Stibnite was left to decay. Abandoned buildings. Tailings piles. A half-finished tunnel known as the “Yellow Pine Pit” that severed a once-thriving salmon migration route.

Today, Stibnite is a ghost town…

But it may soon roar back to life.

The $1.5 Billion Comeback

A small company called Perpetua Resources (NASDAQ: PPTA) holds the keys to Stibnite’s resurrection.

Backed by investment heavyweights — including the U.S. Department of Defense itself — Perpetua is planning a bold, $1.5 billion project to reopen the historic mine, clean up its environmental damage, and extract:

• 4.8 million ounces of gold
• 120 million pounds of antimony
• A future-facing supply chain that Washington is desperate to build

According to current estimates, the gross resource value of Stibnite exceeds $16 billion — and that’s at today’s prices.

But if antimony prices continue their march higher amid Chinese export restrictions and rising geopolitical tensions, this forgotten mountain could soon rival the biggest gold-antimony assets on Earth.

And Perpetua would be first in line.

Chart: Estimated Resource Value of Stibnite

Total estimated value: Over $17 billion

The Only Antimony Mine in the Western Hemisphere?

That’s what’s at stake.

If Perpetua gets the green light, Stibnite would become the only primary antimony-producing site in the Western Hemisphere.

Think about that for a second.

While Wall Street chases AI stocks and crypto hype, a war-critical metal — with zero domestic supply — is waiting to be dug up in Idaho…

By a company trading at a fraction of its long-term value.

And with the U.S. government on its side.

The Department of Defense recently awarded Perpetua $24.8 million under the Defense Production Act to fast-track development.

Translation?

The Pentagon doesn’t want to rely on China for critical minerals any longer. 

Why a Domestic Supply of Antimony Matters More Than Ever

According to an April 2025 report from Defense One, China is rapidly tightening the noose on rare earths and strategic minerals:

The Pentagon has quietly admitted it could be in serious trouble if China cuts off access to antimony and other essential minerals.

Without antimony, the U.S. military faces rising costs, bottlenecks, and dangerous dependencies in:

• Armor-piercing rounds
• Batteries and semiconductors
• Missile propulsion systems

In short, antimony isn’t optional. It’s vital.

And right now, there’s only one place in the U.S. that can supply it: Stibnite.

A Bullseye for Activists — and an Environmental Redemption Story

Of course, it’s not all green lights.

Environmental opposition is fierce.

Some activists claim the mine will destroy precious waterways, habitats, and recreation areas. Lawsuits have been filed. Permits delayed.

But Perpetua has done something few mining companies ever attempt: It’s promising to clean up decades of legacy pollution as part of its plan.

Its proposal includes:

• Reopening salmon migration channels blocked since the 1940s
• Removing millions of tons of toxic waste
• Reclaiming historic tailings sites using modern standards

Even Idaho’s Nez Perce Tribe, long critical of the project, has recently begun talks with Perpetua on ways to collaborate.

This isn’t your grandfather’s mining company.

This is mining in the age of geopolitics and eco-patriotism — and Stibnite might be the first truly modern, dual-purpose mining project in the U.S.

From Ghost Mine to Strategic Arsenal

This is bigger than a gold mine.

It’s a flash point in a much larger story:

• The collapse of American mineral independence
• The weaponization of global supply chains
• The rise of resource nationalism in a fractured world

And it’s unfolding right now, in the forests of central Idaho.

Gold. Antimony. War. Environment. Sovereignty.

Stibnite has it all.

And Perpetua Resources is still trading for under $14.

The NatGold Connection: Owning the Future of Precious Metals

While Perpetua fights to secure America's critical mineral future, investors have another extraordinary opportunity unfolding right now: NatGold.

NatGold is revolutionizing gold ownership by combining the time-tested value of gold with the cutting-edge technology of blockchain. Each NatGold token is backed by verified, untapped gold reserves — gold that is still safely in the ground — without the environmental destruction of traditional mining.

In a world where physical resource security is once again king, NatGold offers:

• Real, verifiable gold backing
• A sustainable, eco-friendly investment alternative
• A new monetary standard merging gold's ancient wealth with tomorrow's digital economy

Just as Stibnite represents the rebirth of strategic metals for national defense, NatGold represents the rebirth of gold as a trusted pillar of personal and institutional finance.

If you're serious about positioning yourself at the forefront of America's next resource boom, Stibnite and NatGold are two sides of the same historic coin.

Don't just watch history being made. Own a piece of it.

This may be the next great American comeback story…

Or the front line in a mineral cold war we can’t afford to lose.

The Prophet of Profit,