The Place:
Though it may have been seen as still being a lumberjack's town in the 1930s, it is possibly better known today as
the town that was poisoned. In 1919 vermiculite was discovered in the nearby hills and a mine and processing plant put into operation, continuing in production until their closure in 1990. Vermiculite proved to be an excellent material for building wall insulation, fire-proofing and soil conditioning.
Unfortunately, the Libby vermiculite also contained small amounts of carcinogenic asbestos, containing minuscule, hook-like, glassy fibers which pierce the lining of the lungs and never come out. Not only were the miners and plant workers of Libby exposed to the asbestos, but the waste material from the plant was donated to the town as soil conditioner for parks, school yards and sports fields, exposing the entire population. As a result, 400 Libby residents have died and at least half of the town's population of 3,000 exhibit symptoms of exposure, from respiratory ailments to cancer.
The town of Libby has been a
Super Fund Site since 2002, with cleanup ongoing. The situation has been termed one of
America's worst man-made environmental disasters and the owner of the mine since 1963, the WR Grace Company, has been facing lawsuits for two decades or more and at least one settlement has been approved, this for $43 million. The company was also ordered to pay the U.S. government more than $54 million to cover Super Fund cleanup costs.
The town, however, appears to the visitor passing through to be just another small American town, with the usual amenities of parks, library, fire department, police department, etc., with the locals carrying on with their lives as usual. There's really no visible hint of the town's health disaster other than a Super Fund memorial in one of the riverside parks.
Today Libby is also known as the
City of Eagles for its more than 40 eagle sculptures. The 40 plus eagles scattered about Libby and area were all created by Todd Berget and long time friend Darien Greason. A teacher at Libby Central School, in his spare time Berget creates steel eagles for his business,
Custom Iron Eagles of Libby.
Coordinates given here are for the old town hall, now the police station. It was one of two gifts received by the city of Libby from the WPA in the '30s, the other being the Lincoln County Courthouse. The old town hall is much more photogenic than their new one and would have been the one in use at the time that the WPA writers passed through.
The Person:
Libby, originally Libbysville, was named in the 1860s for Elizabeth “Libby” Allen, the daughter of Stephen Allen, a member of a group of miners passing through the Kootenai Valley panning for "colour" in the creeks and streams of the valley. Worthwhile amounts of gold were found in Libby Creek, also named after “Libby” Allen, and the mining camp of Libbysville sprang up nearby. As the gold played out Libbysville was abandoned. In 1885, with the coming of the Great Northern Railway, a new town was established downstream from Libbysville, and the name shortened to Libby.
An overview of the story of the naming of Libby follows.
Libby
John S. Fisher led a group of miners through Kootenai River country in the early 1860s. As they panned for “color” in the streams of northwestern Montana, they named many of the Kootenai’s tributaries. One small stream was named Libby Creek by Stephen Allen, after his daughter Elizabeth “Libby” Allen. Miners flocked to Libby Creek in 1867 as word of a promising placer strike spread, and the mining camp of Libbysville was established. Miners deserted Libbysville by the 1870s, and the camp did not experience a revival until 1885. Six years later, B. F. Howard and several other miners received word that the Great Northern Railway was going to construct its transcontinental rail line along the Kootenai River. As a result, they moved downstream from Libbysville and established a townsite near the confluence of Libby Creek and the Kootenai River. The new town shortened its name to Libby and replaced Libbysville in 1892. Throughout most of its history, Libby, the Lincoln County seat, has relied on the mining and timber industries.
From Montana Place Names