Distinctly Montana Magazine

25 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m ANACONDA "HOME OF PLAIN PEOPLE" On October 23, 1892, the Anacon- da Standard made its case for hosting the state government. Anaconda sat on the soon-to-be-completed Butte, Ana- conda, & Pacific Railroad, which would make the city a mere three-hour train ride away for more than half of Mon- tana's residents. In response to a common criticism, the Standard declared that the city's air was wholesome and not polluted by smelter smoke, as "the smelter plant is apart from the city itself." In a transparent jab at Helena, the Standard de- clared that "Anaconda is the home of plain peo- ple; they are the chief contributors to its pros- perity—it is not their ambition to give Anaconda wide reputation as a city of snobs." The newspa- per also took pains to point out that Anaconda was not opportunistic, for it did not announce its candidacy until long after neighboring cities Deer Lodge and Butte declared their intentions. The message: Anaconda had not entered the race for its own benefit, but out of concern for Mon- tana's collective interest. Anaconda received 22.3% of the vote in 1892. BOZEMAN "THE COMING CITY OF MONTANA" On June 9, 1892– more than two months before Anaconda an- nounced its own bid–a column in the Anacon- da Standard declared that "real estate values are lower [in Bozeman] than in any other grow- ing town in Montana, and the terms offered are so easy that any one [sic] can meet them." Pretty funny. But Bozeman's affordability was a real selling point, and city additions were getting platted at a breakneck pace. The "Capitol Hill" addition was already in the works in 1891. The Standard rec- ognized "the capacity of [Bozeman's] surround- ing country to support a denser population than any other portion of Montana," and also point- ed out the advantages of placing the capital in the same city as the state agricultural college, which Bozeman already felt all but guaranteed of by 1892. Bozeman garnered 16.6% of the vote, coming in fourth behind Butte. BUTTE "AN ABSENCE OF GRASS AND FLOWERS" As reported in The Helena Independent on July 30, 1892, cap- ital contender Deer Lodge ended up rub- bing Butte the wrong way when it sent a dele- gation to recruit voters in the Mile High City. Butte was "the market of the state" and Deer Lodge couldn't hold a candle in comparison. There was something wrong with this picture. Why would Butte people vote for anyone but them- selves in the capital race? Butte immediately threw in its hat, brandishing as weapons its mining pro- duction and plentiful sites for government buildings. Regarding the criticism of air pollution, Butte—like Anaconda would later— flatly denied the presence of smoke. Butte also ac- knowledged that, yes, it had a noticeable absence of grass and flowers; but, "the town used to have an abundance of both and will have again." Butte won 16.9% of the vote, coming in third behind Anaconda and Helena. Bozeman, 1875 Butte, 1880s Anaconda, 1880s

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