Anaconda, city in southwestern Montana, located in Deer Lodge County. Originally called Copperopolis by its founder, copper baron Marcus Daly, the city was renamed Anaconda in 1888 for the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, which had established a copper-smelting plant on nearby Warm Springs Creek in 1883. The plant's 585-foot smokestack remains today. The city's economy grew to depend heavily on the great ore-smelting operations, and when they closed down in the early 1980s, approximately 25 percent of the city's labor force were put out of work. Nearby recreational areas include Deer Lodge National Forest, Georgetown Lake, Pintlar Wilderness Area, and Lost Creek State Park. The city of Anaconda was incorporated in 1887. In May of 1977, to reduce government costs, the Anaconda government consolidated with the Deer Lodge County government. Some officials of the Anaconda-Deer Lodge consolidated government, including the chief executive, commissioners, and chief of law enforcement, are elected, while others are appointed to office. Population of Anaconda and Deer Lodge County combined 12,518 (1980); 9,999 (1998 estimate).
