APPLETON, WISCONSIN (November 17, 2022) — Loren Breckenridge and Jackie Lee, business partners in Appleton, Wisconsin, are thrilled to announce that they will be donating "Cody Stone" (Milky Quartz Ore) containing Gold, Silver, Copper, and Tungsten to the Buffalo Bill Museum in LeClaire, Iowa.
This historically-significant Cody Stone containing gold, silver, copper, and tungsten is from William Fredrick Cody's (Buffalo Bill Cody's) Campo Bonito gold mine in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona. Loren and Jackie are enthused and excited to make this historical presentation to help preserve history for future generations.
The Buffalo Bill Museum in LeClaire, Iowa will hold a ceremony to commemorate the significant donation on November 19, 1PM.
"This significant ore was extracted from the Cody tunnel at Buffalo Bill's Camp Bonito Gold Mine in 2010 by Jackie Lee and a trusted friend who is also a seasoned prospector that had a claim to the mine in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, Arizona," said Breckenridge. "We are overjoyed to share this special Cody Stone, photographs, and correspondence in Buffalo Bill Cody's own hand with the Buffalo Bill Museum to preserve the history for future generations," Breckenridge added.
In addition to its historical significance, this is not ordinary ore from a typical mine. This ore is of significant historical importance because the tungsten from this ore was provided to Thomas Edison for the filaments of Edison's first commercial light bulbs that provided light for the world, some of which are still in use today.
Cody Stone
Cody Stone is milky quartz ore from Buffalo Bill Cody's Campo Bonito Gold Mine in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona. As a result of the generous donation, a 5,200-carat $156,000 rare specimen of this extraordinary stone will now be on display in the Buffalo Bill Museum in LeClaire, Iowa.
About Buffalo Bill and His Stone:
William Frederick Cody, also known as "Buffalo Bill," was an American scout, Pony Express rider, bison-hunter, and showman known worldwide. He was born in the Iowa Territory town of Le Claire, Iowa February 26, 1846. In 1883, he founded Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and began touring the United States.
Beginning in 1887, he toured Great Britain and continental Europe with his large company. In the early 1900s, he was a savvy businessman with mining interests in the Santa Catalina Mountains. His mines were well-known for producing gold, silver, copper, and tungsten. The tungsten extracted from these mines was used to create the filament for Thomas Edison's revolutionary lightbulbs.
