Western Railroad Discussion > Anaconda, MT

Mining town!

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Sad first picture.

Out

No, the mining was in Butte. In the beginning the smelting was also in Butte. Later Marcus Daly moved his smelter to Anaconda. The first smelter built was on the north side of the valley but later the newer, larger smelter went up on the south side.

Check out the book "Wired For Success" which covers mining, smelting and railroads between Anaconda and Butte. All this is in Montana.

Is the smoke stack still standing in Anaconda? You could see it from an airplane at 35,000 feet!

Ed

The Anaconda Smelter Stack was still there on July 2, 2017, when I captured this image from about 30,000 feet.

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Today, the front nine of a Jack Nicklaus golf course (part of a Superfund restoration) is located below the scattered ruins of the last smelter constructed on the north side of the valley in Anaconda. What is distinctive about the traps on the golf course is that instead sand, they are filled with copper slag, which provides a dramatic contrast with the green fairways and greens. If one wanders up a paved trail to the smelter remains, one is able to read a number of interpretive boards about the history of the various smelters and ancillary facilities constructed in Anaconda. While in this area, one is afforded a great view of the Anaconda Smelter Stack.

The Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway Company, which transported ore, general freight, and passengers between Butte and Anaconda (a distance of about 30 miles) in its heyday, was a railroad electrification pioneer.

Are the trains still running to Anaconda? I haven't been there in nearly twenty years and it did not look like much business was left then.

I have not been to Anaconda since 2012, but at that time cars were spotted in BA&P's yard at that location.

The reborn BA&P operates their mainline a couple of times a week and provides some switching for the concentrator at Butte. Patriot Rail is the owner. They cut up all the historic freight equipment which was left on the property from previous owners.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/17 09:37 by fbe.

Somewhat off topic: Years ago I recall watching a a western pic set in Montana. In one scene I believe there was a reference to getting to the "electric train." Presumably this would have been the BA&P. I don't remember if there was actually any rail footage in the movie.

Anyone help with this admittedly obscure reference?

What was the timeframe of the western movie? Both the BA&P and the Milwaukee Road were electric trains but not before 1900. There were a few street car lines and limited interurban service that never went very far. Certainly no mainline electrification in the 1860-1880 time frame.

BA&P was founded in 1892 and electrified in 1913. The Milwaukee followed that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/17 08:48 by fbe.

fbe Wrote:
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> What was the timeframe of the western movie? Both
> the BA&P and the Milwaukee Road were electric
> trains but not before 1900.

Thanks for the reply. My memory is a bit hazy, but I believe it was set in the early 20th century and in Montana. I don't recall if there was any railroad footage in the movie. Of course, the reference could have been an anachronism, since as we all know movies aren't always historically accurate.