Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-01-01
School of Mines is Outstanding OF
Mining Colleges I'm United States
SCHOOL OF MINES, To-

iiillliIlB lleil lIOIl htlCIllAdll W TOIlc-
rillous, from Freiberg to Katanga.
A nickname and a slogan perhaps
express as well as anything the reasons
why the Montana School of Mines has
risen from being just a good mining
school to being a truly outstanding
mining school. THE Freiberg OF
America" it has been called, and for
good reasons. The Kings Mining
academy, founded in 176, for the train
ing of miners of SaXony, was for many
decades the international center OF
mining education. Freiberg, It's loca-
ton, was the great mining camp Of
Germany'S Erzgebirge, or "Ore Noun
tains," and it was there that the young
Bergakademie students we're trained in
both classroom and mining plant. The
position OF the Montana School Of
Mines is an analogous n to that OF
Freiberg in its heyday.
where Theory and Practice Meet"
Is INT Of those slogans that are coined
for obvious reasons. Since its begin
ming, the Montana School of Mines has
been an educational institution where
the underlying principles and the prac-
teal applications of engineering have
been carefully balanced. The coop
erative scheme of edutation, hailed
widely by educators as new" has been
In practice at Montana's mining col
lege for nearly thirty years, with the
mining companies of Butte employing
the School of Mines students two
shifts a week and giving them an in
side view of the mammoth, modern
underground and "on-top" operations
Of Anaconda hill.
Montana's mining institute renders
service to the commonwealth in several
distinct manners. First the School OF
Mines offers a thorough, we'll balanced
education in mining, me.allurgical and
geological engineering for the young
men of the state-Witll nc tuition
charges, modest fees and an excellent
chance to earn nearly all expenses.
Second, it encourages and carries on
technical research work that is Of much
importance to the development Of the
states mineral industry. Third, it
maintains the State Bureau of Mines
and Geology, which exists primarily
for the benefit of the public, Identify
ing minerals, investigating artesian well
conditions, publishing technical and in
formational bulletins, and in general
being of direct aid to the Montanan
who is interested in the earth under
him. Fourth, it gives a o%ne-year, ac-
credited general college course for
young people in Butte and vicinity
who wish to say the expense Of going
away to a liberal arts school In their
freshman year.
Ideal Location for School
President Francis A. Thomson Of the
School of Mines has been quoted as
saying, 80 far as Butte is concerned,
that is where l would put a school of
mines had I the entire North American
continent to choose from" This
metropolitan mining camp had its
origin back in 1862, when rich placer
gold deposits were found at Bannack.
Prospectors drifted over to Silver Bow
creek, and discovered gold near Butte's
present location. The gold was worked
out, surface silver was worked out, the
camp died, and then copper ore was
found and developed, tremendous veins
of it. From the network Of shafts and
raises and drifts and crOsscuts which
underlie Butte, some 10000, 900 tons OF
ore have been hoisted to the surface
and melted. This tonnage OF ore is
equivalent to a solid rock IS feet high
and a mile square. Tho copper pro-
duced from this ore, if drawn into No.
10 wire, would reach 1875 times to the
moon and back. Zinc wire of the same
size would reach 33 times to the moon
and. back, and the silver wire o
than S times. The gold, If made into
five dollar gold pieces, could be stacked
ek miles high. The gigantic Anaconda
snelter, which treats this tremendous
production of ore, is another nearby
laboratory for the School OF Mines.
But tremendous as is Butte's past
and potential ore production, the state
outside of Butte has a far greater
wealth of minerals to be extracted.
The School of Mines is dedicated to
helping the citizens of the state dis
cover and profitably work these min
eral resources, which include not only
LIlc lUuT ultldlo lilCitAoAACN oSOFS, Ne'
lead, petroleum, gas, coal, cement-mak-
ing materials, chromium, tungsten,
iron, anthony, marble, emeralds, clays,
limestone, phosphate, building stone,
etc.-and the artesian water, SO valu-
able to farmers and stockmen, which
the Bureau of Mines and Geology has
been studying intensely for the past
two years.
Founding Of the School
The establishment of the Montana
School Of Mines, in Butte, was super
vised by a commission appointed In
1895, consisting Of F. E.. Sargent, John
Gillie, w. w. Dixon, j.. H. Leyson and
C. w. Goodale. The lands of the
School of Mines were used as q basis
for the issue of bonds amounting to
$12O, 900, and in 1896 the erection Of
the present Main hall wa begun. The
school actually opened September IL,
1900, and the first class was graduated
June, 1903, the class being composed
solely of Louis v. Bender, now super
intendent of the Anaconda smelter.
Further appropriations in 1907, 1910,
and 1920 provided for the erection OF
Mill building (Which contains the
heating plant), Engineering hall, Metal
lurgy building and the gymnasium.
The first president of the institution
was Nathan r. Leonard. former pro-
fessor of mathematics and astronomy