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2008:
Spring 2008 will mark the
ground breaking of our Miners Memorial
Garden. For the first time in
Butte’s history those who have lost
their life due to a mining, smelter,
concentrator or railroad accident will
be memorialized on a wall in our
“Memorial Garden”.
2005:
40th Anniversary of museum
operations.
2004:
Museum adds new educational trips and
other programs.
2002:
Museum opens underground exhibit
2000:
Butte population 34,000
1980s:
The museum celebrates its 1,000,000th
visitor.
1970s-1980s: Hell Roarin' Gulch
completed.
1965,
July 18: World Museum of Mining
opened its doors to the public for the
first time.
1964:
Orphan Girl headframe, hoist house, and
other surface structures donated to
World Museum of Mining by the Anaconda
Company.
1960:
Butte population 46,000
1956:
Orphan Girl shut down after post-Korean
War removal of Federal price supports
for lead and zinc. Underground workings
begin to fill with water.
1955:
Berkeley Pit begins
1950:
Butte population 48,000
1940s:
Shaft sunk to 3200 level (2700 ft deep).
Water pumps installed on 2800, 1500, and
1200 levels. Underground development
connected the Orphan Girl to the Nettie
mine to the west, and to the Orphan Boy
vein at the 2800 level (below the
deepest workings on the Orphan Boy).
Managers included James Geach, Dick
Curran, Henry Callison, Herman Gillis,
and Ed Bonner.
1940:
Butte population 53,000
1937-39: Shortage of water for
electric power shut down all zinc
operations in Butte. Development work at
the Orphan Girl included sinking the
shaft to 2800 ft and driving a second
long water-grade connection from that
level to the Anselmo mine. Ventilation
included shafts to the Orphan Boy mine.
1934-36: The shaft was enlarged from
three to four compartments and a manway
on the west side. The Chippy Hoist was
installed. Production increased after
the strike to 600 tons per day had made
the auxiliary hoist necessary. The
"cream" of the high-grade ore body was
being mined from upper levels.
1934:
4˝-month-long strike shut down
operations.
1934:
Art Bigley transferred from West Colusa
mine to take charge of Orphan Girl. At
this time the 600-ton ore bin on the
west side of the yard was served by the
BA&P railroad. Ore was transferred from
the ore houses in the headframe to the
ore bin by a larry car; waste was taken
by truck to the tailings dumps. The dry,
or change house, could handle 400 men
and included offices for timekeepers and
supervisors. The museum office is on the
foundation of the Dry. Production about
500 tons per day.
The
high-grade ore body was delineated, at
1000 feet long and extending from the
100-foot level to the 700-foot level.
There was less ore below this, but still
of commercial grade.
1933:
Mining operations re-started, with first
ore production as an operating mine
since 1916, when the shaft was started.
Jack Dugan in charge of mine operations.
1930:
Butte population 60,000
About
1925: The property was de-watered
and a water-grade connection was made on
the 1500 level to drain water to the
Anselmo Mine, thereby connecting the
Orphan Girl to the rest of the Butte
underground complex. From the Anselmo
the water continued to the High Ore
Pumping Plant. No ore production is
recorded, and the mine was soon allowed
to fill with water to the 1500 level
from which the water flowed to the
Anselmo.
The
present headframe was moved to the
Orphan Girl from the Colorado Mine, and
the Nordberg hoist engine was brought
from the Buffalo Mine.
About
1924: Anaconda-Daly Estate
litigations settled, with Anaconda
ownership of all three claims near the
Orphan Girl.
About
1921: Orphan Girl de-watered, and
shaft sunk to 1700 feet. Operations
suspended; soon mine filled with water
again.
1920:
Butte population 60,000
1917:
Mining at a peak; Butte population over
100,000.
1916:
The Orphan Girl shaft was sunk to 500
and later to 1000 feet. The shaft is
about 100 feet south of the vein, which
dips south at 45°. The first crosscut to
the Orphan Girl vein, on the 500-foot
level, exposed a 30-foot width of very
high-grade lead, zinc, and silver ore.
At this time, the Orphan Girl claim was
owned by Anaconda Co. (75%) and Marcus
Daly Estate (25%); Orphan Boy 100% by
Anaconda Co.; Anglo Saxon 100% by Marcus
Daly Estate. Underground exploration
pointed to the likelihood of rich veins
from the three claims intersecting, and
this led to lengthy litigation. The
mines were shut down and filled with
water.
1915:
Great activity in the western mines,
including the Nettie and Hibernia, a
quarter mile west of the Orphan Girl
claim; the Milwaukee west of the Orphan
Boy; and the Minnie Jane claim just west
of the Orphan Girl. This stimulated
interest in the Orphan Girl that led to
major development the following year.
1910:
Butte population 57,000
1900:
Butte population 48,000
1893:
Silver panic and price crash stopped
much silver production.
Late
1880s: Shallow (less than 300 feet)
operations on the oxidized zone of the
Orphan Girl, for silver.
1885:
Butte population 22,000.
1882:
Daly's major copper discovery on the
Anaconda Vein.
Early
1880s: 150-foot shaft sunk at the
Orphan Boy; not profitable because of
too much zinc.
Early
1880s: Inclined shaft at Anglo Saxon
vein down to 300 ft. Operation continued
until 1893; shaft caved thereafter.
1880:
Orphan Girl claim patented by Charles X.
Larabie, Demas L. McFarland, Salton
Cameron, and Marcus Daly. Butte
population 3000.
1879:
Electric light invented; together with
telephone (1876), caused huge demand for
copper for wire, which led to Butte's
predominance in the copper mining
industry.
1875-1880: Partial ownerships of
Orphan Girl claim transferred to various
parties, including Marcus Daly (1879).
1875,
May 3: Orphan Girl claim located by
William W. Prowse, Thomas Haney, James
F. Prowse, and Demas L. McFarland. Claim
is 1500 feet long by 600 feet wide.
1874:
Butte all but abandoned; population
61.
1870:
Easy gold and silver played out;
Butte population 241.
1867:
Butte population 5,000.
1866:
Butte City laid out.
1864:
Gold Placers in Silver Bow Creek, Butte.
1862:
First major gold strike in Montana (Bannack).
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