top

History

Pasty History

The easiest way to describe a pasty, is a pot pie without the pot. The Pasty came to the Upper Peninsula through Cornwall England. When tin mining started going bad in England during the 1800's the Cornish miners immigrated to America hoping to earn their fortunes in newly developing mines.

Originally Cornish Pasties were made for the tin miners to take as their lunch down the mines. The thick crust along one side being a place to hold it while munching!

Cornish immigrants also introduced the pasty onto the American continent. They are popular in parts of the United States and Butte, Montana made pasties famous in Montana. They make a great dinner or lunch, served plain or with brown gravy or ketchup. People love to take them on pack trips, camping, or even hunting where they can be wrapped in foil and laid on low coals in the fire until they are piping hot.


Anaconda History

Anaconda is located in Montana's Gold West country, one of Montana's six tourism territories. Gold West Country is located in the lower Southwest corner of the state and lies between Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

Rich in mining history, Anaconda was founded when the Anaconda Copper Mining Company in Butte, MT required a smelter for refining its copper ore. In 1882, Copper King Marcus Daly chose the would-be "Anaconda" as the perfect smelter site for the company because of its ample supply of water and nearby limestone deposits.

In 1980, the smelter shut down its operation and the town's historic economic base came to a halt. The town's smoke stack now sits idle but it reminds the community of its foundation. The smoke stack can be seen from the interstate and stands over 585 feet high and measures 86 feet wide at its base. It is the tallest free-standing masonry structure in the world and was declared a state monument in 1985.

The economic base of the community that was once deeply veined with the opportunities provided by the Anaconda Mining Company has slowly shifted its spotlight to reflect the mineral treasures, such as sapphires, agates, crystals, garnets and gold that are sprinkled throughout the Gold West Country and the growing recreation opportunities that continue to bolster the economy.