Anaconda Research Collection

The Anaconda Mining Company (AMC), started in 1881 during the early stages of copper mining in Butte, Montana, became a global figure in mining. AMC, headquartered in Butte, compiled this collection for its research laboratory between 1940 and 1981. More than 250 contributing geologists collected samples from historic underground mines in Butte and throughout Montana. Each sample comes with detailed information, including the mine name, mine level, sample type, the collector’s name, and the date of collection. The collection’s historical significance is as a tangible artifact of the AMC and Butte’s pivotal place in mining history, underscored by the renown of the geologists who contributed to it. Its current geologic research value exceeds the original intent; many of the mines from which the samples were collected are either inaccessible (i.e., flooded, collapsed), private property, or longer exist due to newer open-pit mines. Therefore, the collection offers irreplaceable source material for studying the geology, geochemistry, ore deposits, and hydrothermal alteration of locations that researchers can no longer access.