The War of the Copper Kings

by Carl B. Glasscock

Greed and corruption, bribery and fraud, insiders getting fabulously rich while workers get robbed.

Sound familiar? That was the great battle for Butte, Montana, at the dawn of the 20th century when it was the richest hill on earth. Copper was the treasure, eagerly sought for wiring the modern world, and the hard rock below Butte was riddled with thick veins of the precious metal. Those who controlled the copper could make billions of dollars, the fortune sought by three men who fought for Butte’s mineral wealth with greed and generosity, cruelty and compassion, cowardice and courage.

In this astonishing battle, they used their fabulous wealth to buy courts, newspapers, politicians, banks, police, and anything and anyone that could help them and hinder their opponents. To get what they wanted, their money flowed like snowmelt through the mile-high city and eventually reached the nation’s capital. All the while the miners toiled thousands of feet below ground in tunnels dug with blasting powder, picks, and shovels. And sometimes, backed by rival copper kings, they also battled, with fists and dynamite, either on the streets of Butte or far below the surface.

At this time, Butte was the largest city between Minneapolis and Portland, and it was a wide-open town, born only recently in the rugged Rocky Mountains. Illustrated by rare historical photos, this book tells the story of Butte and the copper kings, a story of raw human drama and timeless historical significance.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 23, 2012

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

CB Glasscock's "The War of the Copper Kings" is a brief, rollicking narrative history of the rise of Butte, Montana, and the "Richest Hill on Earth." Originally published in 1935, "TWofCK" focuses primarily on the personalities that dominated Butte's development from true backwater to the epicenter of battles among tycoons for control of the world's largest copper resources.

Why was copper so important? Because we could not "industrialize" America without it - copper was the essential component for a range of products, not least the new-fangled telephone and telegraph.

Glasscock writes with an enjoyable sense of snark and sarcasm, and he clearly adores the strong personalities of the men (and the occasional woman) who fought like demons to carve out their space. "TWofCK" mirrors a pro-growth, pro-development mania that dominated the West in general and Montana in particular. Glasscock finds the charming comedy inherent in the scalawags and rogues who built Butte in its lawless early years . . . many of Glasscock's subjects in the early pages end their days dangling from nooses or riddled with bullets. Indeed, if you're a fan of HBO's "Deadwood," you've got a decent idea of what early Butte was like.

But then the valuable metals start getting hauled out of the mines, and Glasscock's true heroes - Augustus Heinze, Marcus Daley, and William Clark - emerge. Men of vision and drive, these three men live and build their fortunes in Butte, even as they seem to hate each other with the vitriol of a thousand suns. But they are far better than the East Coast titans of the Standard Oil Trust, who eventually set their sights on the millions to be made from Butte's natural resources.

Thrilling pages of high finance and legal skullduggery fly by in this short book. While the horrific environmental impact of Butte's mines is only occasionally referred to, Glasscock does include some biting references to the willingness of Butte's residents to ignore the hell they were unleashing on their own lungs and the local terrain to capture America's mindless pursuit of the almighty dollar. Glasscock is a witty, talented writer, and while "TWofCK" may not be a definitive history of Montana, it's sure as heck a fun one.

[Linda Gabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does history repeat itself? The politics in this book have a familiar feeling. So interesting how Butte and Montana learned how fatal ‘buying’ political positions and corporations owning cities can be. Written originally in 1935, the author had interviewed several who had grown up During this time and were able to tell their stories first hand. History should inform Americans. Very interesting story of greed and power. Montana learned and put in place legislation to hopefully avoid this happening to the citizens of the State again. Unfortunately we now see a return of big money and corporations in politics on a national level, with the desire to ‘own’ beautiful Montana once again. History informs.

[Kim Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting history of the explosive growth of the copper mining history in and around Butte, Montana, replete with stories of struggle, riches, greed, political machinations, corruption, etc. The book paints a very eye opening picture of the power and greed of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century power brokers such as Standard Oil.

[Morgan Kauth · Rating 5 out of 5]

History of today

This is a great book to learn and understand termination of Montana. I think the recent movement of people should read this to gauge how Montana's are built and made. I think it could actually help resolve many of the issues Montana sees today.

[kyle r server · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great read and very eye opening to the cooruption that took place in the begging of the wonderful state of montans.

The book was eye opening to the corruption's of that time the begging of the great state of Montana great read

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, rich Montana history. Glassock skillfully maneuvers the reader from earliest frontier days to the demise of the copper wars, presenting a balanced, informative account of Montana mining and politics.