Anaconda, Montana
While this small town (located eight miles from the continental divide) was in the news recently for a shooting in a bar that claimed four lives, it's more famous for a huge copper smelter that dominated its economy and landscape for more than a hundred years.
The smelting of copper ore from nearby Butte began in 1883, hauled between the two towns via railroad. In 1918 Anaconda Copper Mining Company built what is now the world's tallest surviving masonry structure in the world which towers over the small town—it boasts an overall height of 585 feet. My photograph of it above does not capture its scale: looking at it is a surreal experience.
The smelter was closed in 1980 but the stack remains along with some historical relics (flumes) and waste of the industry. Indeed, a golf course has been constructed with slag heaps nestled between the lush green fairways.
The Butte Anaconda & Pacific Railway (active 1891 to the present) was used to move the ore from Butte to the smelters in Anaconda. The railway also moved passengers and was electrified for a long period (between 1912 and 1967). Some equipment is on static display in the center of town.
Four photographs by Richard Koenig; taken September 20th 2025.
