Reno Haber Sales (1876 – 1969) was an American mining engineer who was Chief Geologist of

Anaconda Corporation The Anaconda Copper Mining Company, known as the Amalgamated Copper Company between 1899 to 1915, was an American mining company headquartered in Butte, Montana. It was one of the largest trusts of the early 20th century and one of the largest min ...

in Montana. He is known as the "father of mining geology."

Early years

Born in 1876 in Storm Lake, Iowa, Sales moved to Montana with his family at a young age and settled at Gallatin Gateway, southwest of

Bozeman Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of th ...

. His father was an English farmer and his mother was

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

. Sales graduated from Gallatin County High School in Bozeman and received a B.S. from

Montana State College Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 field ...

in 1898. He played on its first-ever football team and was the only member of Montana State's first graduating class. He then earned an Engineer of Mines degree from Columbia School of Mines in New York City in 1900.

Career

Upon graduating from Columbia, Sales returned to Montana at Butte as an engineer for the

Boston and Montana Consolidated Copper and Silver Mining Company The Boston and Montana Consolidated Copper and Silver Mining Company (the "Boston and Montana" or "B&M") was a mining, smelting, and refining company which operated primarily in the state of Montana in the United States. It was established in 1887 ...

. In 1901, he joined

Anaconda Copper The Anaconda Copper Mining Company, known as the Amalgamated Copper Company between 1899 to 1915, was an American mining company headquartered in Butte, Montana. It was one of the largest trusts of the early 20th century and one of the largest min ...

's newly organized Geological Department and became Chief Geologist in 1906 and retired in 1948. As Chief Geologist, his systematic study of ore bodies became the standard practice for the industry, earning him the title of the "father of mining geology." He also successfully defended Anaconda against the lawsuits waged by

F. Augustus Heinze Frederick "Fritz" Augustus Heinze () (December 5, 1869 – November 4, 1914) was an American businessman, known as one of the three Copper Kings of Butte, Montana, along with William Andrews Clark and Marcus Daly. He was an intelligent, charis ...

, who attempted to discredit and destroy the company. He continued working as a consultant to Anaconda after his retirement and wrote a number of books on the history of mining in Montana, including ''Underground Warfare at Butte'' (1964). Sales was President of the Society of Economic Geologists in 1937 and received the Penrose Medal from the society in 1938. Sales was conferred an Honorary Membership of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers in 1964. He was inducted into the

National Cowboy Hall of Fame The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Ame ...

in 1967 and the

National Mining Hall of Fame The National Mining Hall of Fame is a museum located in Leadville, Colorado, United States, dedicated to commemorating the work of miners and people who work with natural resources. The museum also participates in efforts to inform the public ab ...

in 1990. Sales received an honorary Dsc. degree from Montana State College in 1935, and he was the namesake of MSU's

Reno H. Sales Stadium Bobcat Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. It is the home of the Montana State Bobcats college football team of the Big Sky Conference. At t ...

from 1974 to 1998 after a generous donation. For many years, he was known as "Mr. Bobcat" by fans of the

Montana State Bobcats The Montana State Bobcats are the varsity athletic teams representing Montana State University in Bozeman in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsors thirteen teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, skiing, tennis, a ...

Death

In his early nineties, Sales died in 1969 in Bozeman.{{Cite web , title=Mining City History: Reno Sales, mining geologist, made his name in Butte , url=https://mtstandard.com/news/local/mining-city-history-reno-sales-mining-geologist-made-his-name-in-butte/article_2a6492ab-15a5-52dd-9dbd-a7d6837011be.html , access-date=2022-06-26 , website=Montana Standard , language=en

References

1876 births Anaconda Copper 1969 deaths People from Storm Lake, Iowa Montana State University alumni Columbia School of Mines alumni American mining engineers Montana State Bobcats football players