Have you ever wondered why there’s a little city in Montana that is named after a South American snake? There’s a lot to love about Anaconda, but we’ll be the first to admit the name for such a city is a bit… unique. And as it turns out, that’s no accident.
Anaconda is located in southwest Montana, about 25 miles west of Butte.
Jasperdo / Flickr Anaconda is the county seat of Deer Lodge County and home to about 9,100 people.
Like many other towns in Montana, this place was designed to be a mining town.
Jasperdo / Flickr And while it’s not especially well-known for being as a weekend getaway destination, it’s certainly a nice, quiet place to get away from it all.
Anaconda was founded in 1883 by Marcus Daly, one of the original “Copper Kings” of Butte.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM / Flickr Daly financed the construction of the Anaconda smelter on nearby Warm Springs Creek to process copper ore from the Butte mines.
Originally, Daly wanted to name the town “Copperopolis.”
Jasperdo / Flickr When he filed for the town plat, he learned that the name was already used by another mining town in Meagher County.
Instead, Daly named the town after the anaconda, a South American snake.
Jasperdo / Flickr He did this at the request of the United States postmaster of the time, Clinton Moore. Moore chose that name because of the important mining smelter already existing in the area. And that’s how we ended up with the city of Anaconda.
Anaconda is a charming little historic city that really doesn’t get enough credit.
Linda, Fortuna future / Flickr The next time you find yourself in the area, check it out and see for yourself.
It’s so fun to learn about our local history. Do you enjoy visiting Anaconda? What’s your favorite thing to do there?
Jasperdo / Flickr
Anaconda is the county seat of Deer Lodge County and home to about 9,100 people.
And while it’s not especially well-known for being as a weekend getaway destination, it’s certainly a nice, quiet place to get away from it all.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM / Flickr
Daly financed the construction of the Anaconda smelter on nearby Warm Springs Creek to process copper ore from the Butte mines.
When he filed for the town plat, he learned that the name was already used by another mining town in Meagher County.
He did this at the request of the United States postmaster of the time, Clinton Moore. Moore chose that name because of the important mining smelter already existing in the area. And that’s how we ended up with the city of Anaconda.
Linda, Fortuna future / Flickr
The next time you find yourself in the area, check it out and see for yourself.
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Address: Anaconda, MT, USA
