In many ways the story of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, through the first seven decades of the 20th century, best illustrates trends in the Montana economy. The Anaconda Company dominated the state’s metals industry and influenced other business sectors. The Company’s ultimate demise tells a larger tale about the shift in Montana’s economic base. Designation as a Superfund Cleanup Site shook citizens who were constitutionally guaranteed a “clean and healthful” environment.