Anaconda, Montana
Encyclopedia
Deer Lodge County, Montana
-National protected areas:*Beaverhead National Forest *Deerlodge National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,417 people, 3,995 households, and 2,524 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile . There were 4,958 housing units at an...
, is located in mountainous southwestern Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. The Continental Divide passes within 8 miles (13 km) of the community with the local Pintler Mountain range reaching 10,379 feet (3164 m). According to the 2004 US Census the population is 9,088, with a per capita personal income of $21,163 and a median household income of $26,305. It is the ninth biggest city in Montana. Central Anaconda is 5,335 feet (1626 m) above sea level, and is surrounded by the communities of Opportunity and West Valley.
The county area is 741 square miles (1,919.2 km²), characterized by densely timbered forestlands, lakes, mountains and recreation grounds. The county has common borders with Beaverhead, Butte-Silver Bow, Granite, Jefferson and Powell counties.
History
Marcus Daly
Marcus Daly redirects here, see also Marcus Daly Marcus Daly was an Irish-born American businessman known as one of the three "Copper Kings" of Butte, Montana, United States.- Early life:...
, one of the Copper Kings
Copper Kings
The Copper Kings, industrialists William Andrews Clark, Marcus Daly, and F. Augustus Heinze, were collectively known for the epic battles they fought in Butte, Montana and the surrounding region during the Gilded Age over the control of the local copper mining industry, a fight which had...
, who financed the construction of a smelter on nearby Warm Springs Creek to process copper ore from the Butte mines. In June 1883, Daly filed for a town plat for “Copperopolis,” but that name already graced a mining town in Meagher County
Meagher County, Montana
-National protected areas:*Gallatin National Forest *Helena National Forest *Lewis and Clark National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,932 people, 803 households, and 529 families residing in the county...
. Instead, Daly accepted the name "Anaconda" from the postmaster of the time, Clinton Moore.
In 1903, the Socialist Party of America
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
won its first victory west of the Mississippi when Anaconda elected a socialist mayor, treasurer, police judge, and three councilmen. The Socialist Party had grown within the Montana labor movement. Initially, the Anaconda Copper Mining Company tolerated them, but when the Socialists gained political power and threatened to implement reform, the company systematically undermine the radical party. City workers and councilmen refused to cooperate with the new mayor, and the company began to fire Socialists. In the long run labor lost ground in Anaconda and the company exerted ever greater political control.
The Anaconda Company expanded smelting capacity over time, and by 1919 the Washoe Reduction Works could boast that its 585-foot (178 m) smokestack (Anaconda Smelter Stack
Anaconda Smelter Stack
The Anaconda Smelter Stack is a radial brick smoke stack, once part of the Anaconda Smelter at Anaconda, Montana in the United States. The stack rests on a concrete foundation and measures 585 feet 1.5 inches high. The inside diameter of the stack is at the bottom and at the top...
) was the tallest masonry structure in the world and that the smelter-refining complex constituted the world’s largest nonferrous processing plant.
In 1980, Atlantic Richfield Company closed the smelter, bringing an end to almost a century of mineral processing. Since then, an operation for environmental cleanup was put into place by the Environmental Protection Agency and executed with the assistance of ARCO
ARCO
Atlantic Richfield Company is an oil company with operations in the United States as well as in Indonesia, the North Sea, and the South China Sea. It has more than 1,300 gas stations in the western part of the United States. ARCO was originally formed by the merger of East Coast-based Atlantic...
. The multi-million dollar cleanup and investment has resulted in the formation of "Old Works" Golf Course, a championship 18-hole course designed by Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
.
Part of Anaconda is included in the Butte-Anaconda Historic District
Butte-Anaconda Historic District
Butte-Anaconda Historic District is a historic district that spans parts of Walkerville, Butte and Anaconda, Montana. It has the most resources of any U.S...
.
Geography
- Elevation: 5335 ft (1,626 m)
- Average annual rainfall: 14 inches (356 mm)
- Average length of growing season: 114 days
- Average annual snowfall: 6.0 inches (15 cm)
- Average annual temperature: 43.0 °F (6.1 °C)
Climate
Demographics
Sports and recreation
- HuntingHuntingHunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
- Many local establishments can provide hunting licenses for in-state and out of state hunters. There are hundreds of square miles of hunting available to the public in the area. With permit, hunting is permitted for fowl, bearBearBears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
, mountain lion, elkElkThe Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
, deerDeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
and mooseMooseThe moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
, however only deerDeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
and elkElkThe Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
hunting is allowed without application to the state hunting license draw. - FishingFishingFishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
- With the exception of many mountain lakes and streams, primary fishing spots include Silver Lake, Georgetown Lake, Echo Lake, Warm Springs Creek and the Big Hole River. - GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- The Old Works Golf Course is a Jack NicklausJack NicklausJack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
signature golf courseGolf courseA golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
. There is also a local country club and an 18 hole championship golf course located at Fairmont Hot Springs. - SkiSkiA ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
ing - With plentiful trails for cross country skiers, and the Discovery Ski AreaDiscovery Ski AreaDiscovery Ski Area is an alpine ski area near the old mining town of Anaconda, Montana, off Highway 1 and is situated along the scenic Pintler Loop opposite of Georgetown Lake. Situated on Rumsey Mountain and Jubilee, the area consists of 4 different faces and provides for beginner groomed runs to...
for downhill skiers Anaconda is an excellent place for the skiing enthusiast. The Discovery Ski Area also grooms 5 km of cross country ski trails. Discovery ski area boasts 15 downhill double black diamond trails. - DartsDartsDarts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
-The annual Winter Getaway dart tournament held in several local establishments draws as the largest regional dart tournament in the State of Montana - MuseumMuseumA museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s - The Copper Village Museum and Arts Center provides visitors and residents with art and history of the local area.
Notable natives and residents
- Lucille BallLucille BallLucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
- actress - John H. CollinsJohn H. CollinsJohn H. Collins was an American classical scholar.Born in Anaconda, Montana, he attended the University of Illinois and Cornell University, and in 1952 received his doctorate in classical history from Goethe University in Frankfurt-am-Main where he studied under Professor Matthias Gelzer, then a...
- classical scholar. - Frank CopeFrank CopeFrancis Wallace Cope was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the New York Giants. He attended Santa Clara University....
- New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
offensive lineman - Marcus DalyMarcus DalyMarcus Daly redirects here, see also Marcus Daly Marcus Daly was an Irish-born American businessman known as one of the three "Copper Kings" of Butte, Montana, United States.- Early life:...
- founder of Anaconda, and one of the "Copper KingsCopper KingsThe Copper Kings, industrialists William Andrews Clark, Marcus Daly, and F. Augustus Heinze, were collectively known for the epic battles they fought in Butte, Montana and the surrounding region during the Gilded Age over the control of the local copper mining industry, a fight which had...
" of Butte. - Wayne EstesWayne EstesWayne Vernon Estes was a 6'6" forward All-American basketball player for Utah State University from 1963 to 1965. Wayne is the third-leading scorer in Utah State history with 2,001 points and the fourth-leading rebounder...
- college basketball star - Raymond HunthausenRaymond HunthausenRaymond Gerhardt Hunthausen is a retired American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Helena from 1962 to 1975 and as Archbishop of Seattle from 1975 to 1991.-Early life and education:...
- Archbishop of Seattle - Rob JohnsonRob Johnson (baseball)Robert James "Rob" Johnson is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. Born in Anaconda, Montana, he played Little League in Whitehall....
- San Diego PadresSan Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
catcher - Nancy KeenanNancy KeenanNancy Keenan is the current president of the United States-based reproductive/abortion rights organization NARAL Pro-Choice America....
- politician, NARAL president - George A. LingoGeorge A. LingoGeorge Archibald Lingo , was a Democratic politician from the U.S. territory of Alaska, commemorated as "a pioneer Alaskan in the true sense of the word."...
- politician in the Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska... - George Leo ThomasGeorge Leo ThomasGeorge Leo Thomas is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as Bishop of Helena since 2004.-Biography:...
- Roman Catholic Bishop of Helena - Lester ThurowLester ThurowLester Carl Thurow is a former dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management and author of books on economic topics. Thurow was born in Livingston, Montana.-Education:...
- economist - John H. TolanJohn H. TolanJohn Harvey Tolan was a U.S. Representative from California.Born in St. Peter, Nicollet County, Minnesota, Tolan attended the public schools.He moved to Anaconda, Montana, in 1897....
- United States Congressman from California
Further reading
- Mercier, Laurie. Anaconda: Labor, Community, and Culture in Montana's Smelter City (University of Illinois Press, 2001) 300pp