Rush grew out of the discovery of zinc carbonate ore in this valley in the late 1880's, when mines with names such as Morning Star, White Eagle, Monte Cristo, Red Cloud, Buelah, MacIntosh, Edith and Yellow Rose spread across the hillsides. The valley's population rose and fell with the demands of the zinc market, reaching its peak from 1914-1917 when more than 5000 people were said to have lived and worked here. At the end of World War I the zinc market collapsed and the mines were abandoned. Buildings dating from the early 1900's remained inhabited until the 1960's, serving as homes and as a general store and post office.