Darwin Mine

Restarting of historic California mine with vast quantities of zinc, silver and gold, in addition to 9 critical minerals.

This single asset QOZ Fund represents a unique investment opportunity to participate in the reopening of one of the most storied and significant mining claims in the U.S. Located in California’s Inyo county, Darwin was America’s largest metals mining operation during WW1 and WW2. With its rich productive track record, this area is the most papered patch of land indicating high grade metals and critical minerals in the country.

To appreciate what makes this project unique, it is important to know how this project came to be. Jack Stone worked in the Darwin mine as a young man alongside his father and uncle. Darwin shuttered, along with most U.S. mines, in the early 70’s when metals prices collapsed as a result of China’s massive exportation of cheap product. Returning from his service in Vietnam, Jack built a welding and equipment leasing business supporting the mining industry. This afforded him to slowly acquire all the Darwin property claims, water rights and mining permits over a 20+ year period.

Incredibly, the Stone family has been able to achieve all this, and prep the mine to reopen, all while staying debt free. The family views the Opportunity Zone Tax Program as an option to raise the remaining start-up capital needed, using equity instead of debt. Despite persistent overtures from big industry players, the Stone family is confident they have the experience, connection and will to unlock the $6+ billion worth of materials they are sitting on while staying independent.

The OZ Fund being offered is looking to raise $66 million for 20% of the project at a current valuation of $330 million. Since existing mine shafts are already drilled into high grade quality Zinc beds, the start up funds will immediately be used for new rail, ventilation and processing mill upgrades, and new low carbon emission equipment, to begin operations within 6 months. The high current demand for the easily accessible Zinc, Silver and Copper from this first phase will make this project profitable year one. Profits will then fund further mining of the vast known metal deposits on this property. This mine is also known to have 9 critical minerals that comes with the support of multiple government agencies.

This is the only independent mining project of its kind that also happens to be within an Opportunity Zone. This project has been a lifetime in the making as less than 1% of the mine has been mined and is now ready to capitalize on rebounding metal prices and help our country Go Green . With a backdrop of inflation and expected higher taxes, this projects represents an opportunity to diversity into hard assets and benefit from the OZ tax shelter.

Recent studies have indicated much larger gold and silver deposits which will be released shortly.
You can invest in this project via your separately managed IRA at