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

Anaconda Corporation The Anaconda Company, also known historically as the Anaconda Gold and Silver Mining Company (1881–1891), Anaconda Mining Company (1891–1895), Anaconda Copper Mining Company (1895–1899), Amalgamated Copper Company (1899–1915), and Anacon ...

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

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

Early years

Born in 1876 in

Storm Lake, Iowa Storm Lake is a city in and the county seat of Buena Vista County, Iowa, United States. The population was 11,269 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase from 10,076 in the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census. Located along ...

, Sales moved to Montana with his family at a young age and settled at

Gallatin Gateway Gallatin Gateway is a census-designated place (CDP) in Gallatin County, Montana, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 856. Elevation is 4,953 ft (1,510 m). Geography The community is located along U.S. Route 191 in ...

, southwest of

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

. His father was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

farmer and his mother was

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

. 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, United States. It enrolls more students than any other college or university in the state. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's d ...

in 1898. He played on its first-ever

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

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 The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (also known as SEAS or Columbia Engineering; historically Columbia School of Mines) is the engineering and applied science school of Columbia University, a private research university i ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1900.

Career

Upon graduating from Columbia, Sales returned to Montana at

Butte In geomorphology, a butte ( ) is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and table (landform), tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from the French l ...

as an engineer for the Boston and Montana Consolidated Copper and Silver Mining Company. In 1901, he joined

Anaconda Copper The Anaconda Company, also known historically as the Anaconda Gold and Silver Mining Company (1881–1891), Anaconda Mining Company (1891–1895), Anaconda Copper Mining Company (1895–1899), Amalgamated Copper Company (1899–1915), and Anacon ...

'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, 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 The Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) is a scientific organization that promotes the study of geology as it relates to mining, mineral exploration, mineral resource classification and mineral extraction. The society's Publication Board publish ...

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 The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) is a professional association for mining and metallurgy, with over 145,000 members. The association was founded in 1871 by 22 mining engineers in Wilkes-Barre, Penns ...

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 Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...

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 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, an ...

Death

In his early nineties, Sales died in 1969 in Bozeman.

References

{{Authority control 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