Western Reports Excellent First Pass Sampling Results for Mineral Gulch Pits

VANCOUVER, July 26 /CNW/ - Western Pacific Resources Corp. (WRP - TSXV): Warwick Smith, the President of Western Pacific, is pleased to report that first pass sampling at the Company's Mineral Gulch project has returned some excellent gold assays over significant sample widths. Highlights include the following channel samples:

    
    -   MG-ES-005 which returned 15 g/t Au over 3m from the Tallman Pit
        (carbonaceous sample).

    -   MG-ES-007 which returned 5.8 g/t Au over 3m from the Tallman Pit
        (oxide sample).

    -   MG-ES-025 which returned 1.6 g/t Au over 9.1m from the D Pit (oxide
        sample).
    

Assays have been received for 45 out of the 90 samples collected earlier this month and all samples returned anomalous gold. The average grade was 1.58 g/t Au with a median grade of 0.68g/t Au. Results ranged from 0.026 g/t Au to a high of 15 g/t Au. Sample results greater than 1 g/t Au are reported in the Table below. The average grade is in line with the historic average production head grade of about 1.5 g/t Au reported by Pegasus Gold.

The best gold results were returned from carbon-rich rocks collected at the north-west end of the Tallman Pit. Structurally deformed areas such as folded shales also returned good results.

The results confirm Management's belief that significant potential exists at Mineral Gulch. This will be investigated by additional mapping and sampling and a planned drill program later in the field season (pending permits).

    
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Sample No.      Au g/t       Comments
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Tallman Pit
    MG-ES-005       15.0         3m channel of black carbon rich shale /
                                 siltstone
    MG-ES-006       5.9          Red brown siltstone
    MG-ES-007       5.8          3m channel, structural breccia
    MG-ES-013       1.7

    C/D Pits
    MG-ES-022       2.0
    MG-ES-023       1.7
    MG-ES-024       3.4          Gossany decalcified limestone
    MG-ES-025       1.6          9.1m channel, rusty decalcified limestone
    MG-ES-026       1.6
    MG-ES-027       9.9          Fault zone, 30cm sample
    MG-ES-028       1.1

    C/D Pit Area
    Reconnaissance
    MG-ES-030       1.2          Fault breccia north of C Pit, grab sample
    MG-ES-032       2.7          Karst fill in bedded limestone? NW of C Pit,
                                 grab

    E Pit
    MG-ES-040       1.4
    MG-ES-042       1.4
    MG-ES-044       1.9
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    

About Mineral Gulch

Mineral Gulch is located in Cassia County, Idaho, along the southeast edge of the Black Pine Mountains, approximately 128 kilometres southeast of Burley, Idaho. Western Pacific controls 100 per cent of the project which it acquired through staking. The project encompasses the historic Black Pine mining district and surrounding exploration ground. Western Pacific recently acquired the historical Noranda proprietary data for the property from Newmont Mining Corp.

Until mining ceased in 1998, Pegasus Mining produced over 500,000 ounces of gold from Black Pine at an average head grade of 1.5 grams from several small open pits. Historic exploration and mining efforts have generally focused on near-surface, oxidized orebodies.

Western Pacific's review of the historic Noranda showed the following targets of interest for follow up in the 2010 exploration program:

    
    -   Fifteen strong gold-in-soil anomalies of which five were associated
        with gold mineralized bodies subsequently mined by Pegasus in the
        1990s;
    -   Drill hole BP-88-398R intersected 85 feet of 0.036 ounce per ton gold
        (25.9 metres at 1.12 grams per tonne gold) from surface to 85 feet in
        the unmined Anomaly J area;
    -   Drilling near a road-cut sample (32 linear feet of 0.085 ounce per
        ton gold) in Anomaly F intersected 140 feet of 0.068 ounce per ton
        gold (42.7 metres at 2.11 grams per tonne gold) from surface to 140
        feet; Anomaly F was never put into production;
    -   Drilling on the range front, 4,000 feet southeast of the Tallman Pit,
        returned 100 feet of 0.011 ounce per ton gold (30.5 metres at 0.34
        gram per tonne gold) from 200 to 300 feet, indicating a potentially
        unexplored gold system east of the known pits;
    -   Drill hole BP-86-12, located 34 meters off the NE corner of the
        Tallman Pit wall, intersected 60 feet of 0.092 opt gold from 340'-
        400' (TD).
    

The reader is cautioned that the results quoted above are historic in nature and Western Pacific has not yet completed sufficient work to verify the results.

Stock Option Grant

The Company has granted a stock option to a director to purchase up to 200,000 common shares exercisable for ten years at a price of $0.38 per share.

Qualified Person

Curt Everson, MSc, PGeo, is Western Pacific's Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 and has prepared or supervised the preparation of the disclosure of any scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

About Western Pacific

Western Pacific is a gold explorer focused on acquiring advanced-stage projects in the western United States, and has the right combination of exploration and financial professionals to succeed in making a world class gold discovery. For more information, please visit our website at www.westernpacificresources.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Warwick Smith, Chief Executive Officer

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

For further information: Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone], Email: [email protected], Website: www.westernpacificresources.com