DescriptionIn 1864, Jonathan and Elmira Manlove constructed a cabin at Prickly Pear Junction that served as a way station on the road to Diamond City. The settlement’s name became East Helena in 1889, after the construction of the Helena & Livingston Smelting & Reduction Company’s smelter there to process silver-lead ore from Wickes. In 1890, the United Smelting and Refining Company took over operation of the East Helena smelter until American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) took charge in 1899. The Anaconda Company operated a zinc recovery plant at East Helena from 1927 to 1972 to supply material to its Great Falls zinc refinery. ASARCO purchased the Anaconda zinc operations in 1972 and shut them down 10 years later. ASARCO closed the smelter in 2001, and the largest of the smokestacks was dismantled in 2005. Cleanup of the site continues under supervision of the EPA. American Chemet, the world’s largest producer of cuprous oxide, a toxin-free paint to protect oceangoing ships, set up shop in East Helena in 1946 because of access to zinc oxide, a by-product of lead-zinc smelting.Personal NamesManlove, JonathanManlove, ElmiraOther Name(s)Prickly Pear JunctionContributing InstitutionMontana Historical Society Library and ArchivesGeolocation[1] Elevation3888 ft.CountyLewis and Clark County
