{"id":3398,"featured":0,"modified":"2026-04-17 19:58:08","latitude":46.01743340147606176060435245744884014129638671875,"longitude":-112.54720151424407958984375,"title":"Anselmo Mine","subtitle":"1875-1966, 4300 Feet Deep","fullsize":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/103e13869f31341ffc335e0186424506.jpg","address":"Off N Excelsior Ave","all_locations":[],"zoom":17,"creator":["Story of Butte","Nancy Woodruff","Richard Gibson","Butte Historical Society"],"description":"The Anselmo mineyard is the most intact of any in Butte, and includes the main hoist engine room, an auxiliary hoist building (with a lamp room in the lower level), carpenter shop, timekeeper&#039;s offices, hose house, the dry (miners’ locker room), and a warehouse, in addition to the headframe with its tipple and two idler towers. The compressed air tank also survives. Inside, tools and other artifacts are found in place, just as they were when the mine was operating.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe Butte, Anaconda &amp; Pacific Railway train at the Anselmo is the only remaining artifact of the first electrified heavy haul engine that served as the prototype for electrifying rail engines throughout the country. Ore was raised from the mine to the tipple structure on the side of the headframe, from where it was dumped into train cars below. The trains, which once laced together all the mines, transported copper ore to the town of Anaconda, where it was concentrated and smelted at the huge Washoe Smelter. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe Anselmo also had a yard that treated lumber for underground timbers and supplied them to many mines. The timber was milled west of Butte, at Rocker, and brought to the Anselmo where it was treated with arsenic to prevent rotting.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe present Anselmo headframe came from the Black Rock Mine, and was moved to the Anselmo in 1936. The Anselmo was an important lead and zinc mine, and also produced silver and copper. A lengthy strike that shut down most of Butte&#039;s mines in 1959 spelled the end of the Anselmo, which did not reopen after that strike.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe BA&amp;P walking trail, built on the former bed of the Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway, passes near the Anselmo yard. Not far to the west, the trail passes the Desperation Fan Tower, an octagonal concrete structure where bad air exited from the Anselmo mine.","sponsor":null,"accessinfo":"Private","lede":"Most intact mineyard remaining in Butte","website":"","related_resources":["Gibson, Richard, \"Anselmo Mine Yard,\" Butte-Anaconda National Historic Landmark District blog, <a href=\"http://butte-anacondanhld.blogspot.com/2013/03/anselmo-mine-yard.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">http://butte-anacondanhld.blogspot.com/2013/03/anselmo-mine-yard.html</a>","Report: R.D. Piper, Mining Engineering Department, Anaconda Company, to E.C. Bonner, Manager of the Mines, Anaconda Company. January 14, 1966."],"factoids":[],"files":{"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/103e13869f31341ffc335e0186424506.jpg":{"id":5359,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Anselmo Headframe Lighted for Christmas","description":"Night view of Anselmo headframe decorated for Christmas with a star, a cross, and Christmas tree. This is a vertical photo. Click the title to view the full image. | Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives | 1964 | C. Owen Smithers","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/103e13869f31341ffc335e0186424506.jpg"},"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/6053d527be74c060d4b7a6b71a0ff25e.jpg":{"id":5360,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Anselmo Mineyard","description":"The Anselmo Mineyard with old cars and a wagon in the foreground. This is a vertical photo. Click the title to view the full image. | Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives | C. Owen Smithers","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/6053d527be74c060d4b7a6b71a0ff25e.jpg"},"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/144a97ee06e4bf8403cf85de61c89bf7.jpg":{"id":5361,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"View of Anselmo, Looking Northwest","description":"World Museum of Mining","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/144a97ee06e4bf8403cf85de61c89bf7.jpg"},"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/9ba2311117ac3dadc04919e86de854c2.jpg":{"id":5362,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"View of Anselmo Mine, Looking East","description":"Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress | 1979 | Jet Lowe","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/9ba2311117ac3dadc04919e86de854c2.jpg"},"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/51c1a0a6427a71be85236919f67e5513.jpg":{"id":5363,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Map of Anselmo Mineyard","description":"Butte-Anaconda National Historic Landmark District blog | Richard Gibson","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/51c1a0a6427a71be85236919f67e5513.jpg"},"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/1385744ba27c82ac32b218d17540acf4.jpg":{"id":5364,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Battery Charger for Headlamps","description":"Equipment for recharging miners&#039; headlamps, with some battery packs still in place. Located in the lower level of the auxiliary hoist house. This is a vertical photo. Click the title to view the full image. | Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress | 1979 | Jet Lowe","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/1385744ba27c82ac32b218d17540acf4.jpg"},"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/ee3825aa2ad6e3426da1c201e2d198da.jpg":{"id":5365,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Miners&#039; Showers at the Anselmo","description":"View of the showers in the old part of the dry (miners&#039; locker room) at the Anselmo Mine. This is a vertical photo. Click the title to view the full image. | Library of Congress | 1979 | Jet Lowe","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/ee3825aa2ad6e3426da1c201e2d198da.jpg"},"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/f54aca4a20446061b8581e8f40a3c399.jpg":{"id":5366,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Cages Hanging from Anselmo Headframe","description":"Cages, used to transport men down into and up out of the mine shaft, hang from the headframe at the Anselmo. This is a vertical photo. Click the title to view the full image. | Library of Congress | 1979 | Jet Lowe","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/f54aca4a20446061b8581e8f40a3c399.jpg"},"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/1c619cd3cd91c821229656a8ef20a327.jpg":{"id":5367,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"View of Anselmo with Rail Cars","description":"The Anselmo headframe with ore cars lined up. The ore cars would have been loaded by dumping ore from the tipple on the side of the headframe. | World Museum of Mining","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/1c619cd3cd91c821229656a8ef20a327.jpg"},"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/136bf8a5a1b84ac125c61d1e91428ade.jpg":{"id":5868,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Anselmo Headframe","description":"The compressed air line is in the foreground, auxiliary hoist at center, headframe in background, idler tower at left.  | Cassie Scheidecker","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/136bf8a5a1b84ac125c61d1e91428ade.jpg"},"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/8f9d00416cd1413e3a05a1acb8bde91a.jpg":{"id":5869,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Anselmo Office","description":"A view of the timekeeper&#039;s office in the foreground, hoist house at center background, idler tower at left.  | Cassie Scheidecker","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/8f9d00416cd1413e3a05a1acb8bde91a.jpg"},"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/77caf635f09f290df8d0abb9bd342bfd.jpg":{"id":5870,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Cow and Calf","description":"The base of the Anselmo Headframe is at the far right.  | Cassie Scheidecker","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/77caf635f09f290df8d0abb9bd342bfd.jpg"},"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/ecadac44f6f5f3023133a4ac2af0710b.jpg":{"id":5871,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Anselmo Sheds","description":"Cassie Scheidecker","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/ecadac44f6f5f3023133a4ac2af0710b.jpg"},"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/12e376121d6abcc3d4eb4d27efd19b55.jpg":{"id":5872,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Anselmo Mine Yard","description":"Note the carpenter shop at the far left, dry at left center, compressed air tank at center, auxiliary hoist at right center.  | Cassie Scheidecker","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/12e376121d6abcc3d4eb4d27efd19b55.jpg"},"https://storyofbutte.org/files/fullsize/f60d1441b4a3ee97bd0ebe87cf28426e.jpg":{"id":5873,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Anselmo Dry","description":"The dry with compressed air tank at the far right. ","thumbnail":"https://storyofbutte.org/files/square_thumbnails/f60d1441b4a3ee97bd0ebe87cf28426e.jpg"}}}