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September 1942. Deer Lodge County, Montana. "Anaconda smelter. Ore cars and smokestack." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Office of War Information. View full size.
An absolutely amazing photograph.
I'm getting a 'How Green Was My Valley' (John Ford 1941) impression.
This photo from the Butte - Silver Bow Public Archives shows the electric locomotives that brought the ore cars from Butte to the smelter in Anaconda. Electric power for the railway came from Great Falls, Montana. The power was converted from AC to 2,400 volts Direct Current at several substations along the line.
It's indeed a beautiful picture. And look at all the copper! It takes a lot of electricity to run an operation to mine the metal.
Question: Where were the bricks made to build the smokestack?
I can't find a modern reference to support this September 1905 trade journal article. But it seems in Deer Lodge County, Montana, "There is no clay in the world that produces such durable and heat-resisting bricks as those that are turned out at the Anaconda yards. The silica brick made here surpasses the celebrated Swansea brick ..." Swansea brick is made in Wales.
Click to embiggen:
I'm not sure which bowl game -- if any -- Utah would compete against Montana, but they're definitely facing off in the most photogenic mining infrastructure contest. Carr Fork Canyon, also -- and probably not coincidentally -- 1942, won my heart first, but this shot tests my loyalty,
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