Rio Grande Resources Expands Winston Project Claims

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, October 1, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Rio Grande Resources, a burgeoning mineral exploration company focused on unlocking the high-grade gold and silver potential within its ~3,500-acre drill-ready property in the Black Range of Sierra County, New Mexico, has expanded its claim block at its 100%-owned Winston Gold-Silver Project. The company has staked 26 additional lode mining claims covering approximately 537 acres, significantly advancing its understanding of the structural controls on mineralization at the Winston Project.

The staking follows the Company's May 2026 exploration program, which included surface sampling, rock-chip sampling, and structural mapping conducted by Dahrouge Geological Consulting USA Ltd. The program has provided the Company with new geological information from the North Star-Little Wonder area, which was previously incorporated into the Company's existing claim block.

The exploration program identified vein trends and epithermal textures in the area, providing the geological basis for Rio Grande to secure the historical workings and surrounding prospective ground. Seven samples collected in the Phase Two Exploration Program from the North Star-Little Wonder area returned gold and silver mineralization, including 3.21 g/t Gold and 351 g/t Silver, 2.69 g/t Gold and 70.6 g/t Silver, and 1.38 g/t Gold and 317 g/t Silver. Full assay results are provided in Table 1 below.

Historical records indicate that mining of the North Star area dates back to at least 1883, during the early development of the Black Range mining district. At that time, the work was improving both the property and its "showing of mineral," with Governor Foster contemplating an additional 50 to 100 feet of development.

Rio Grande Resources is now systematically evaluating a larger portion of the interpreted mineralized system as it works to establish the extent, continuity, and potential scale of mineralization at the Winston Project. The expanded claim block provides the Company with additional ground for systematic exploration while it continues advancing its highest-priority targets toward drilling.

The Company's current structural interpretation indicates that mineralized veins identified in the North Star-Little Wonder area may form part of a broader structural network extending from the Poverty Creek area to the south. With North Star and Little Wonder now incorporated into the Winston claim block, Rio Grande can systematically evaluate a larger portion of the interpreted mineralized system as it works to establish the extent, continuity, and potential scale of mineralization at the Winston Project. The interpreted connection between these areas has not yet been established and will require additional mapping, sampling, and drilling to test.

Rio Grande Resources also announced the grant of a total of 30,000 stock options and 30,000 restricted share units to a director of the Company pursuant to the Company's Long-Term Incentive Plan. The grants were approved by the Board of Directors on September 30, 2026.

The company's exploration efforts have been bolstered by the recent results from its Phase Two Exploration Program, which returned multiple high-grade gold and silver results across the Poverty Creek target area, including channel samples grading up to 46.3 g/t gold and 1,030 g/t silver, grab samples grading up to 67.1 g/t gold, and rock-chip samples grading up to 26.1 g/t gold and 348 g/t silver. Sampling and structural mapping defined multiple northeast-southeast-and southwest-trending mineralized structural corridors across Poverty Creek, with high-grade samples distributed across several interpreted vein systems.

Rio Grande Resources is led by a team of experienced professionals with expertise in mineral exploration and development, targeting large-scale precious metal discoveries within the property's well-documented low-sulfidation epithermal setting. The company's current structural interpretation indicates that mineralized veins identified in the North Star-Little Wonder area may form part of a broader structural network extending from the Poverty Creek area to the south. With North Star and Little Wonder now incorporated into the Winston claim block, Rio Grande can systematically evaluate a larger portion of the interpreted mineralized system as it works to establish the extent, continuity, and potential scale of mineralization at the Winston Project. The interpreted connection between these areas has not yet been established and will require additional mapping, sampling, and drilling to test.

Rio Grande Resources is a burgeoning mineral exploration company focused on unlocking the high-grade gold and silver potential within its ~3,500-acre drill-ready property in the Black Range of Sierra County, New Mexico. The company holds 100% interest in the Winston project group, which includes the 2 patented historical Ivanhoe & Emporia Claims, in addition to the Little Granite, North Star and Little Wonder Mines, all known for their past production of high-grade precious metals. The company's current structural interpretation indicates that mineralized veins identified in the North Star-Little Wonder area may form part of a broader structural network extending from the Poverty Creek area to the south. With North Star and Little Wonder now incorporated into the Winston claim block, Rio Grande can systematically evaluate a larger portion of the interpreted mineralized system as it works to establish the extent, continuity, and potential scale of mineralization at the Winston Project. The interpreted connection between these areas has not yet been established and will require additional mapping, sampling, and drilling to test.