10/13/2026
The Anaconda Copper Mining Co purchased mining claims near Soda Springs Idaho in 1919. By 1920 development was underway to mine the rich phosphate deposits nearby. A company town was built with a school, homes to rent, and a store. The company town was aptly named Conda. Between 1922 and 1936, a special motorized rail "bus" called
"The Galloping Goose" was operated on the ACM rail spur from Conda to Soda Springs to transport miners to their jobs.
The mine was accessed through an 8000 foot main drift, where internal raises were ran to the different levels of the mine. Miner's were hoisted up to their working level rather then lowered down like most conventional shaft mines. The stoping methods utilized slushers and timber for ground support. The ore was then processed at the company's mills near Conda and then shipped by train to the ACM Smelter complex located in Anaconda Montana. The processed ore along with sulphuric acid was turned into fertilizer for use on the West's vast farmlands.
Anaconda continued to operate the mine until 1960 when it was sold to the J.R. Simplot Company of Boise Idaho. Mining continued at the Conda Mine until
1984. The town of Conda is mostly deserted but phosphate mining continues in the area, mostly through open pit mining
