Day 6: Rest Day in Anaconda

June 17, 2025

Today is a much needed rest day in Anaconda, Montana. I want to spend most of the time resting, but I also want to explore the interesting town. Fortunately my inn is in the middle of town. I walked around downtown in the morning and in the evening.

Breakfast was excellent homemade banana pancakes and bacon. I had a long conversation with the one other guest. She's about my age, traveling from Missoula, spending most of her time taking photos. She showed me some excellent photos.

Today was sunny with a high of 74F. Only the second dry day of the tour. Great weather for cycling, but I'm not traveling today.

I enjoyed exploring Anaconda. It developed as Smelter City, site of the smelter for Butte's giant copper mine. The smelter was founded in 1883. Anaconda was quite prosperous for almost a century, far longer than most mining boom towns. But the smelter closed in 1980, causing the population to quickly crash.

In the last 10 years Anaconda has started to revive and even become trendy. Many abandoned historic buildings have been restored, but many historic buildings still need to be restored. I was told that Anaconda is a popular destination for people who are priced out of Bozeman.

The upper two floors of Montana Hotel were removed after the smelter closed. Bricks were sold.

Former train depot moved to this site to be the Chamber of Commerce office.

One of several big brick apartment buildings.

I had a Wind's pasty for lunch. The business is mainly set up for wholesale, but I had a freshly made beef pasty for $5. Outstanding crust because it was never frozen. The pasties are made in bulk, frozen, and sold wholesale throughout the northwest U.S. Mine was quite good. Maybe better than pasties I had in Michigan's upper peninsula.

I had my first-ever Wind's pasty for lunch. Sold wholesale throughout the northwest.

Awful modernization. Now an apartment building.

Another guest at the inn recommended O Bella's Italian restaurant on the north edge of town. So I pedaled there for dinner. It's about 1 mile north of the inn, with a good view looking northeast towards the giant smelter smokestack. The smelter shut down in 1980. Environmental cleanup has been ongoing for many years and is expected to be completed late next year.

View of the smelter smokestack from near the Italian restaurant.

After dinner I pedaled back to downtown and wandered around in the evening sun.

I stopped to look at Deer Lodge County courthouse at the east end of Main Street. Deer Lodge county is unique among Montana counties because it has a long socialist history. The county hasn't voted for a Republican president since Calvin Coolidge in 1924. In 1903 Anaconda voters elected a socialist mayor, treasurer, police judge, and three councilmen. The mine workers took political power away from the mine owners. For a few years...

The Hearst Free Library is amazing, with ornamental cast iron on all sides. I had never seen nor heard of libraries funded by William Randolph Hearst.

Downtown Anaconda looked good in the evening sun. The historic buildings seem well preserved.

Main Street in Anaconda. Deer Lodge county courthouse at the end of the street.

The old fire station is amazing. Who else builds such a fancy fire station?

The old fire station is now a history museum.

I spent a lot of time today resting in my room. Napped from 3 to 5:30 PM. And some time sitting on the front porch. Hickory House Inn has been great.

Hickory House Inn has a photo of the old Catholic church that used to be just north of the rectory. The church shut down and was torn down soon after the smelter closed.

Old photo showing the Catholic church next to the rectory.

In the evening I went into Northern Hall Tap Room on Main Street to have a beer. It's surely one of the oldest taverns in Anaconda.

I had an after dinner beer (maybe two) at Northern Hall Tap Room.

My bike was in a corner, so I was careful not to damage the wallpaper.

I achieved my goal of resting and seeing Anaconda. I felt much better in the evening than in the morning. Good thing because tomorrow is one of the most challenging days of the tour.

Distance: 4 miles:
Average Speed: 6.5 mph
Ascent/Descent: +112/-112 feet

Today's ride: 4 miles (6 km)
Total: 165 miles (266 km)

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Gregory GarceauA Montana pasty better than an Upper Peninsula pasty? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!
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