This park was constructed in 2000, predominantly by Anaconda Job Corps students and staff. It is as much a memorial park as anything, with many, many memorial pavers and plaques, primarily in memory of past employees of the
Anaconda Copper Company, builder of the smelter where the smokestack still stands.
There are several plaques in the park which elucidate upon the history of the smelter and the smokestack as well as the NRHP plaque, outlining the smokestack's place on the
National Register of Historic Places.
This plaque outlines the story of the saving of the stack from demolition and its subsequent designation as an official state monument. It has since also been designated a National Historic Place.
Preserving the Stack
On September 29, 1980, the Anaconda Minerals Company, which had merged with the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) three years earlier, announced the indefinite suspension of copper smelting in Anaconda and refining in Great Falls, Montana. The company cited high production costs and increasing environmental restrictions as reasons for the closure. Following the closure announcement, the decision was made that the suspension of operations would be permanent and the smelter and refinery would be demolished.
A few years later, when the Washoe Smelter stack was threatened, a local "Anacondans to Preserve the Stack" group formed. The Big Stack remains intact largely through their efforts and determination to preserve the symbol of Anaconda's industrial legacy. Working with state and local officials, ARCO, and the Environmental Protection Agency, the group was instrumental in the stack's designation as an official state monument.
As the former site of the smelter complex is reclaimed, the landmark associated with the community for the past century will continue to stand tall. The smelter that for so long defined the community of Anaconda has passed into memory. The community that grew in its shadow remains.
From the Plaque