Stibnite Mine

Stibnite, near McCall, is one of Idaho's youngest ghost towns, it is also the common name for antimony ore. Mining for both gold and antimony began at the Stibnite Mine in 1931. A body of rich tungsten ore was also found and mined. During World War II, Stibnite produced ninety-eight percent of America's antimony in addition to a large proportion of the nation's tungsten. Both metals were vital to the production of military machinery and weaponry.

The rich Stibnite Mine tungsten ore was exhausted by the end of the war (1945). A new antimony mine opened in Central America that forced the price of the mineral to drop. This, combined with the loss of tungsten revenuues, led to closure of the Stibnite Mine in 1952. Today all that remains of the mine are a few old buildings and machine artifacts.