A series of firsts: The first-born Anacondan and the first city government

Today we have the beginning of a real treat, courtesy of Pat Tracy, who provided the Anaconda Leader with a copy of the rare booklet "The City of Anaconda: Its First Twenty-five Years, 1883-1908," a souvenir of Anaconda's Silver Jubilee dated July 4, 1908. 

Written by Charles H. Eggleston and published by the Anaconda Standard, the booklet contains, among other historical information, a variety of "firsts," including a first that's of particular importance to Tracy: His grandfather, William A. McAndrews, who was the first person to be born in the city of Anaconda. 

Tracy recounted that his mom was only 8 years old at the time of that his grandfather – a horse trainer who also served as deputy sheriff – died in 1930 at just 46 years of age. 

"She remembered him a little bit, mostly him working in the stables and being around the horses," Tracy said. "My mom and my uncles told us stories about him, and as you get older you wish you'd paid attention to them. So grandkids, listen to your grandparents. Listen to their stories. You'll regret it if you don't."

Tracy does know that the family came from Minnesota, with his great-grandfather arriving at the new "city" – really a tent city at the time – to help build the original smelter, and he went on to train horses for Anaconda's founder, Marcus Daly. 

While much of the family's artifacts from that era were lost in a fire, the Silver Jubilee booklet thankfully was not among them, so its stories have been preserved for generations to come. 

On that note, here are the first in a series of stories the Leader will share of various "firsts" from that booklet, starting with Tracy's grandfather, the first-born Anacondan, and the city's first election and its first government.

The First Born

The first child born in Anaconda was William A. McAndrews. While the city consisted of tents exclusively, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. P. McAndrews, lived in a canvas home on what is now Front Street, and it was here that William opened his eyes to the world Aug. 23, 1883. His father was then employed in the construction of the original Anaconda smelters. Sept. 29, 1905, William married Miss Elizabeth Gilboy of Chicago, at St. Peter’s church, and much was made of the wedding on account of Mr. McAndrews being the first native-born Anacondan.

Of course other children were born on or near the present site of the city before it was a city. Roy Davidson, a son of Mr. and Mrs. T. C. Davidson, was born in 1882. Charles Cohen, son of Mr. and Mrs. David Cohen, Sr., was born in 1884. He passed through all the different grades of the Anaconda schools and formally graduated from the Anaconda high school, being the first native of Anaconda, as far as known, to accomplish the feat.

The City's Government

Nov. 6, 1883, the first election in Anaconda took place. There was no Australian ballot at the time and few of the devices used in these days to safeguard the ballot box. Still, as only 283 votes were east in Anaconda, it is taken for granted that everybody knew everybody else, and that the election was conducted fairly. In proportion to the number of voters Anaconda was more strongly democratic then than at any time since. Out of the 283 votes cast, the democratic candidates got more than 200. It was a time when Montana was beginning to agitate for statehood, and delegates were to be chosen to a constitutional convention. The three democratic candidates in Deer Lodge county, in which was Anaconda then, were elected, receiving from 215 to 244 votes against 37 for the low man on the Republican ticket and 73 for the high man. These constitutional convention delegates were J. Robinson, E. B. Waterbury and Joaquin Abascal, all now dead.

E. B. Waterbury was the first police judge, William McKinney the first marshal and N. Dickinson the first deputy sheriff. “Bill” was an exceptionally good officer, and many was the burglar and thief he caught/ “Your finely lighted streets at night are all very well,”’ says Mr. McKinney; “but give me darkness for catching burglars. They never could see my shadow as I crept up on them, and when I flashed my bullseye on them they were literally in the dark as to where I stood.’”

The city was generally democratic and heavily so until recent years, when the Republicans have had more than an even break. At one election in the spring of 1903, the city went socialist.

The mayors of Anaconda have been: W. I. Hoge, 1888: H. T. Mahan, 1889; D. D. Walker. 1890; H. Redmond, 1891; Daniel Dwyer, 1892; W. M. Thornton, 1893-97; O. Leiser, 1897-99; J. M. Madden, 1899-1901; H. W. Stephens, 1901-03; J.W. Frinke, 1903-05; T. J. McKenzie, 1905-07; O. C. Evans, 1907.

The official records taken from the 1883 proceedings of the board of commissioners of Deer Lodge County reveal the official creation of Anaconda township: June 26, 1883.