The first was established in 1888 by John Gordon and Frederick Ritchie, on land leased from William Adams in the Horse Canyon section of East Butte.

The first site did not have sufficient trolley service to make visits worthwhile for every day visitors, and so it was not financially successful.

Clark had Jesse R. Wharton (1857–1923), manager of his Butte Electric Railway Company, scout for a better location near their trolley routes.

They also had a greenhouse where they grew the flowers used in all the custom floral arrangements for the grounds, in such shapes as a butterfly, a harp, and Anaconda's arrowhead logo.

The official fire investigation report cited an overloaded electrical transformer, even though power to the site had been shut off two months before.

Local residents who knew the way Anaconda conducted its business assume they used the oldest trick in its book when needing to clear land they wanted for mining: arson.

[2] In Montana, known as "The Treasure State" for its mineral resources and natural beauty, the stories of the Columbia Gardens would be passed down for generations.

"[3] The story of the park is the subject of a 1999 documentary film by Montana PBS, Remembering the Columbia Gardens, featuring interviews with Kearney and local residents who visited or worked there.

[2] Some of these interviewees were also later featured in the 2008 PBS documentary film Butte, America, which covered the larger legacy of Anaconda Copper in American history.