The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Anaconda (Montana)

ANACONDA, Mont., city, the county-seat of Deer Lodge County, 27 miles northwest of Butte, on the Northern Pacific, Great Northern and Butte, Anaconda & Pacific railways. It was founded in 1884, following the erection of its great copper-smelting works, which are the largest in the world. They treat daily between 5,000 and 10,000 tons of ore mined in the vicinity. The copper produced by the Washoe Reduction Works of the Anaconda Mining Company comprises 10 per cent of the world's output. Deposits of graphite and sapphires are found near the city. Anaconda has also large railway shops, brick works, machine-shops and other manufactories, banks, telephone and telegraph service, and daily and weekly newspapers. It has parks, likewise a race track and fair grounds, Hearst Free Library containing about 6,000 volumes, two opera houses and a daily and weekly newspapers. Anaconda has grown rapidly with the development of its great copper industry. In 1880 it was a small mining camp; 10 years later its population was 3,975. Pop. (1910) 10,134; (1913) 12,500.