Sights

Anaconda [1] has preserved its historic town center. Stop by the chamber of commerce (306 E. Park) for a map of historic buildings.

One of the most imposing buildings is the old City Hall (401 E. Commercial, 406/563-2242). Built in 1895, it is made of local materials: pressed brick, Anaconda granite, and copper trim. City and county offices are now housed in the courthouse, along with the historical society and the Copper Village Museum and Art Center.

The Deer Lodge County Courthouse (406/846-2680), at the south end of Main Street, dominates the town. Built in 1898, it features a rotunda, a copper-clad cupola, curving staircases, and a dumbwaiter to convey books from floor to floor.

An art deco extravaganza, the Washoe Theatre (305 Main St., 406/563-6161) is one of Anaconda’s most stellar showcases. The hammered metal-leaf decorations are almost overwhelming.

The imposing Hearst Free Library (401 Main St.) was an 1898 gift to Anaconda from newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst’s mother, Phoebe.

Catch the 1936 vintage bus at the chamber of commerce (306 E. Park, 406/563-2400, $5 adults, $1.50 children) for a 90-minute tour of Anaconda. Tours start at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mon.–Sat., mid-May to mid-September.

The Copper King Express (800 W. Commercial, 406/563-5458 or 877/563-5458, www.copperkingexpress.com [2], noon Sat. late May–mid-Sept., $25 adult, $20 senior, $18 student 6–18, $5 under 6) is an excursion train running from its Anaconda roundhouse to Rocker (just west of Butte) through rugged Durant Canyon.