Anaconda Company - 100 Pieces!

Company History: Anaconda was one of the largest American mining companies, producing copper, aluminum, silver and uranium. The mines were located in Butte, MT. In 1882 Marcus Daly, an Irish immigrant, and George Hearst, father of publisher William Randolph Hearst, built Anaconda, the first copper mine and smelter in Montana. Daly’s hard work in the mines and his exceptional personality made him one of the best-known miners in the West. The labor movement was active with the formation in 1878 of Butte’s Miners Union. Worker frustration led to violence in 1914 and 1917. The worst mining disaster occurred in 1917 with the deaths of 168 miners in a fire.

In 1899, Daly merged with Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Co. to create the Amalgamated Copper Mining Co. It bought up smaller mining companies and in 1910 changed its name to Anaconda Copper Mining Co., the largest power in Butte and Montana. It dominated local politics and business in the state. In the 1950’s labor-intensive underground mining was replaced with open pit mining. The company created the Berkeley Pit, the largest landmark and legacy of Butte’s mining days. In 1982 mining ceased in the pit. Today it is over a mile long, nearly a mile wide and 1800 feet deep. In 1977 Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) bought Anaconda.

Mining scene by American Banknote. Mixture of Blue and Green colors.