Too often the history of mining towns concentrates solely on the mines themselves and the towns surrounding them. However, without the adjunct smelter towns, the ore could not be processed and separated from the minerals being sought. Sometimes, the smelter operations were located in the same mining town. Other times they were either built some miles away or moved away from the mining town.
Regardless, due lax business practices and environmental regulations of the 19th and early to mid 20th centuries, smelters often created sooty air pollution and contamination where they were located. This made smelter towns appear as foreboding places with a smoky haze hanging over them. Given that quite a few smelter towns were located in narrow valleys or gulches, the haze could be quite concentrated.
In order to alleviate the pollution settling over the town, increasingly taller smelter stacks were constructed so the smoke could be carried further away by upper level winds.
As more stringent pollution regulations were adopted, stacks were increased in height, and cleaner production/processing methods developed, local air quality improved and ground pollution was reduced. Despite those improvements, many former smelter locations have been or are Superfund sites for cleanup.
Several examples of modern smelters are also included in the images below for a visual comparison to the older ones. These modern smelting facilities were designed and built to conform to the more environmentally-friendly standards of the past half century.
As resources were depleted at the mines, many of the historic smelters identified below closed leaving their hometowns with lost jobs, a lost industrial legacy, areas of leftover pollution, and derelict empty structures. In some cases, the downward economic impacts led to significant populations losses and some former smelter towns became ghost towns.
Unfortunately, the demolition of these processing facilities has also resulted in the loss of many incredible archaeological artifacts and structures from our industrial heritage. Most visible being the demolition of the smelter stacks that towered over the the community. These iconic stacks were often the tallest structure for many miles in all directions.
Historic stacks from closed smelters that are known to have been preserved to date exist in Anaconda, Montana (a state park); Hancock, Michigan (see photo below); Mayer, Arizona (see listing below); and Salida, Colorado (see photo above). It is hoped these four remain intact as impressive icons of our nation’s industrial heritage and that both they and any others that remain be preserved for future generations.
The most intact remains of an overall smelter operation lie along the Portage River/Canal in the Upper Peninsula community of Hancock, Michigan. As part of Keweenaw National Historical Park, tours are offered of the facilities in late June through mid- October.
While not every former smelter (or town) can be preserved or become a tourist attraction, they do represent an important aspect of American/Canadian history and industrial development. In appropriate situations, the preservation of such facilities can provide us with a keen insights into the Industrial Age in North America.
More recently, a number of former smelter towns have become desirable locations for newcomers and retirees who find them enchanting places to live with lots of historic charm and charisma. Durango, Leadville, and Salida, Colorado, as well as Galena, Illinois all fall into this category. Anaconda and Butte, Montana; Leadville; and Hancock, Michigan (noted above) have been successful in showcasing their mining/smelting heritage.
Several of these aforementioned communities, along with Bisbee, Arizona have also become important artist colonies. All are proof that historic smelter and mining towns are among the most resilient on the planet. Furthermore, their recovery and rediscovery clearly depict the “can do spirit” and tenacity of the entire community. Each town mentioned should be applauded for their foresight and accomplishments.
Peace!
p.s. The list below is not meant to be an exhaustive compilation of smelters in the USA and Canada. As this map from Southeast Kansas shows, there were numerous smelters in historic mining regions such as the Tri-State Lead/Zinc Mining District of Southeast Kansas/Southwest Missouri/Northeast Oklahoma.
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Ajo, Arizona – copper
Anaconda, Montana – copper
Arvida, Quebec, Canada – aluminum
Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Canada – modern aluminum smelter
Bécancour, Quebec, Canada – modern aluminum smelter
Belledune, New Brunswick, Canada – lead
Bisbee, Arizona (1880-1905) – copper – replaced by smelter in Douglas
Black Eagle (Great Falls), Montana – copper
Blackwell, Oklahoma – zinc
Butte, Montana – copper
Christmas, Arizona – copper – now a ghost town
Clarkdale, Arizona – copper
Clifton, Arizona – copper
Collinsville (St. Louis Area), Illinois (1904-1934) – lead and zinc
Coniston, Ontario, Canada – nickel
Deadwood, South Dakota – gold
Denver (Globeville neighborhood), Colorado – gold and silver
Deschambault, Quebec, Canada – modern aluminum smelter
Douglas, Arizona – copper
Durango, Colorado – coke, lead, copper, silver, and gold
East Helena (Helena), Montana – lead and zinc
Farmington, Missouri – lead
Frisco, Utah – silver
Galena, Illinois – lead
Galena, Kansas – lead
Garfield, Utah – copper
Grand Baie, Quebec, Canada – modern aluminum smelter
Hancock, Michigan – copper
Hayden, Arizona – copper
Herculaneum, Missouri – lead
Humboldt, Arizona – gold and silver
Hurley, New Mexico – copper
Jerome, Arizona – copper
Kellogg, Idaho – lead
Kennett, California – copper – now under Shasta Lake
Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada – aluminum
LaHarpe, Kansas – zinc
Laterrière, Quebec, Canada – modern aluminum smelter
Leadville, Colorado – gold and silver
Macay, Idaho – copper
Mayer, Arizona – copper
McGill, Nevada – copper
Miami, Arizona – copper
Midvale (Salt Lake City), Utah – copper
Morenci, Arizona – copper
Murray (Salt Lake City), Utah (1902-1950) – copper
New Almaden, California – mercury
Northport, Washington – copper
Omaha, Nebraska – lead
Park City (Socorro), New Mexico – lead, zinc, and silver
Philipsburg, Montana – silver
Pittsburg, Kansas – lead and zinc
Pueblo (Bessemer neighborhood), Colorado (1883-1903) – silver and lead
Rosalie Wells, California (1898-1918) – copper
Rouyn Noranda, Quebec – copper
Sasco, Arizona (1907-1919) – copper – now a ghost town
Sept-Îles, Quebec, Canada – modern aluminum smelter
Smeltertown (adjacent to Salida), Colorado – gold, silver, lead, and zinc
Smeltertown (adjacent to El Paso), Texas (1887-1972) – copper and lead
Spring Valley, Wisconsin – iron
Stoddard, Arizona – copper
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada – nickel and copper
Superior, Arizona – copper
Tacoma, Washington – lead and copper
Texada Island, British Columbia, Canada – silver, copper, and gold
Thompson, Manitoba, Canada – nickel
Trail, British Columbia, Canada – lead and zinc
Windham, Colorado – silver
If the topic of smelters and smelter towns intrigues you, here are several books on the topic that are available via Amazon.com.*
*A link has been provided for each book to Amazon.com. A small commission is earned from purchases that are made using the above links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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