1. Restoring the Moonscapes of the Mt. Haggin Uplands
Pedro Marques
Restoration Programs Manager

4. A history of mining 1864: Gold in French Gulch of French Creek
1865: “Mountaineer City” aka “Old French Town” established
20-30 homes, 2 shops, two blacksmiths, shoemaker
Claims paid $300-$700 per day to five hands
Up to $5 a pan
1868: French Gulch district produced $1-$5 million.
Town in steep decline by 1870
1871: Future MT Lieutenant Gov. Edward Allen born in French Gulch

5. 1864-1870: Pick, shovel and sluice box mining
Canals and ditches divert water from American Creek
’s: Chinese placer mining
1880’s-1900’s: Hydraulic “giant”, Hydraulic elevator and “endless chain” bucket dredge
1930’s: Mechanized placer mining

7. - Reporter from Minneapolis, 1886
‘for a distance of 30 miles the great clouds of smoke that rise from among the mountains indicate the location of Anaconda and the greatest copper smelter in the world’
- Reporter from Minneapolis, 1886
History
1885- upper works, 1886 #2
Washoe Smelter in Old Works across the valley at current Stucky Ridge site. Before big stack.
Washoe smelter Raised from 300’ to 585’ between 1911 to 1918
Logging cords of wood per year before coal (1890’s-early1900’s) manual by company already uses coal
Estimates suggest that as much as 59 pounds of arsenic and considerable quantities of sulfur dioxide,copper, antimony, lead, and zinc emanated daily from the stacks of the Washoe smelter.
So thick lay the waste that after a few years of operation the company swept the denuded mountainsides immediately adjacent the smelters to retrieve over six million dollars worth of copper from the dust.
MacMillan, Smoke Wars (note10), 87-92
1885: Anaconda Upper Works
1901: Washoe Smelter
: Washoe Smelter raised from 300’ to 585’

8. “As much as 59 pounds of arsenic and considerable quantities of sulfur dioxide, copper, antimony, lead, and zinc emanated daily from the stacks of the Washoe smelter.”
“After a few years of operation the company swept the denuded mountainsides immediately adjacent the smelters to retrieve over six million dollars worth of copper from the dust.”
- MacMillan, Smoke Wars (note10), 87-92
History
1885- upper works, 1886 #2
Washoe Smelter in Old Works across the valley at current Stucky Ridge site. Before big stack.
Washoe smelter Raised from 300’ to 585’ between 1911 to 1918
Logging cords of wood per year before coal (1890’s-early1900’s) manual by company already uses coal
Estimates suggest that as much as 59 pounds of arsenic and considerable quantities of sulfur dioxide,copper, antimony, lead, and zinc emanated daily from the stacks of the Washoe smelter.
So thick lay the waste that after a few years of operation the company swept the denuded mountainsides immediately adjacent the smelters to retrieve over six million dollars worth of copper from the dust.
MacMillan, Smoke Wars (note10), 87-92
H. Shoebotham, Anaconda: Life of Marcus Daly, The Copper King, Harrisburg, 1956, 77.

9. A history of logging
1880’s: 1st timber cut- McCune supplies ACM w/ 300,000 cords

10. 1880’s: 1st timber cut- McCune supplies ACM w/ 300,000 cords
1906: French Gulch timber sale begins (lasts 10 years)

11. 1880’s: 1st timber cut- McCune supplies ACM w/ 300,000 cords
1906: French Gulch timber sale begins (lasts 10 years)
1906: Big Hole Forest Reserve established (precursor to Beaverhead NF)

12. 1880’s: 1st timber cut- McCune supplies ACM w/ 300,000 cords
1906: French Gulch timber sale begins (lasts 10 years)
1906: Big Hole Forest Reserve established (precursor to Beaverhead NF)
1908: Gifford Pinchot visits sale

14. Past the Ecologic Tipping Point
Down to friable mineral “soil” in volcanic welded tuff parent material
Loss of 6”-18” of forest soil= all organics and most water holding capacity
Seed sources few and far between

15. Past the Ecologic Tipping Point
Down to friable mineral “soil” in volcanic welded tuff parent material
Loss of 6”-18” of forest soil= all organics and most water holding capacity
Seed sources few and far between
Extreme summer, winter climate + wind erosion
Seed predation

16. Past the Ecologic Tipping Point
Down to friable mineral “soil” in volcanic welded tuff parent material
Loss of 6”-18” of forest soil= all organics and most water holding capacity
Seed sources few and far between
Extreme summer, winter climate + wind erosion
Seed predation
Loss of natural grade control =

17. Past the Ecologic Tipping Point
Down to friable mineral “soil” in volcanic welded tuff parent material
Loss of 6”-18” of forest soil= all organics and most water holding capacity
Seed sources few and far between
Extreme summer, winter climate + wind erosion
Seed predation
Loss of natural grade control = sediment superhighways

18. 8 larger sediment plume areas

19. 26 inches
Pushed stream against mountain, turned lush wet bottom into upland vegetation
Grazing doesn’t help
Taking the area immediately visible at 26” down= 8931 tons of sediment. 1% gets to stream every year and we stop this plume, this one area accounts for 16% of the TMDL Upland sediment reduction.

20. Incised Stream associated with sediment plumes below gullies
Loss of hydrologic connectivity
Beaver activity and habitat drastically reduced
“Perched” riparian
Herbivory