The Diamond was named by a prospector for the configuration formed by its claim stakes. Originally owned by mining entrepreneur William Clark, this mine figured prominently in his battle with Marcus Daly and Augustus Heinze for control of the Butte copper industry. The mine was ultimately sold to the Anaconda Copper Mining Company in 1895.
Erected in 1898, the headframe of the Diamond is the oldest left standing on the hill. In the early days, the miners commuted to work on a streetcar which ran to within a few hundred yards of this site. Among the mine yard buildings here that have gone the way of the trolley is the rope house, which fabricated the flat, seven-inch cables used before the advent of round cable to hoist cages and skips. The large wheels scattered around the mine yard are sheave wheels. Originally they sat atop other headframes around the hill and guided the hoist cable in and out of the shaft.
The Bell mine was located about a tenth of a mile east of the Diamond headframe. Ore from the two mines was hoisted through a common shaft by 1914, leading them to be referred to jointly as the Bell-Diamond.
The Bell was founded by T.C. Meader of the Montana Mining Company. Meader was innovative and built his smelter down near Bell Creek (more commonly known as Black Tail Creek) in order to reduce smoke in the urban area. The mine was acquired by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company in 1885.
Meader is most notable for being the founder of Meaderville, an Italian neighborhood of Butte famous for its great restaurants, lively night clubs and gaming.
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