Archives West Finding Aid

The Anaconda claim was located in 1875. In 1881 Marcus Daly discovered the copper vein that began copper mining in Butte, Montana. The Anaconda Copper Mining Company was organized on June 18, 1895 in Butte and it dominated the early industrial history of Montana. In 1903 nearly three-quarters of the wage earners in the state were either directly or indirectly working for the company. In 1917 there was a general miners' strike, and much worker/owner tension stirred up by the war, the I.W.W., and the fear of sabotage. Both world wars created huge booms in production for the company. In 1945 Anaconda embarked on a program of expansion, rehabilitation, and improvement. New methods were introduced to increase the output of mines already in use. In April 1955 the company's name was changed to The Anaconda Company. Production of primary copper from company mines in 1959 totaled 980,399,000 pounds. From 1895 to 1960 the Butte mine had produced almost fifteen billion pounds of copper. The Anaconda Company shut down its operations in Butte in 1983.