Labor History
Amalgamated’s Great Shutdown Idles Montana, 1903
Butte, Silver Bow County
On October 22, 1903, the Amalgamated Copper Company ordered its Montana mines, smelters, railroads, and timber works closed. Roughly fifteen to twenty thousand people lost their wages overnight. The Company blamed court rulings favoring rival F. Augustus Heinze and demanded a special legislative session to change venue rules.
Butte, Anaconda, and Great Falls went quiet. Company newspapers blamed Heinze; crowds filled the streets; merchants watched trade collapse. The lockout was a raw display of corporate power in a state whose economy ran on copper.
The shutdown lasted into December. Legislators passed a fair-trials bill, the mines reopened, and Heinze’s independent empire soon faded. The Great Shutdown remains the starkest lesson of the War of the Copper Kings.
Frequently asked questions
What happened on October 22 in Montana history?
Amalgamated’s Great Shutdown Idles Montana, 1903. On October 22, 1903, the Amalgamated Copper Company ordered its Montana mines, smelters, railroads, and timber works closed. Roughly fifteen to twenty thousand people lost their wages overnight. The Company blamed court rulings favoring rival F. Augustus Heinze and demanded a special legislative session to change venue rules.
Where did this take place?
This October 22 event is associated with Butte, Silver Bow County.
When did this event happen?
It took place in 1903, on October 22.
Why does this day matter in Montana history?
The shutdown lasted into December. Legislators passed a fair-trials bill, the mines reopened, and Heinze’s independent empire soon faded. The Great Shutdown remains the starkest lesson of the War of the Copper Kings.
Topics: Amalgamated Copper · Great Shutdown · Heinze · Butte · 1903