1919: Edgar Alley begins exploring upper reaches of Rainey Creek near Libby and finds vermiculite

Important Dates

1924: Alley builds primitive kiln that produced four tons of Zonolite per day.

March 25, 1925: First boxcar of Zonolite shipped by rail from Libby to Ohio.

Mid-1926: Zonolite mill producing up to 100 tons of vermiculite ore a day.

1939: Zonolite merges with another mining company to become Universal Zonolite Insulation Co.

1963: Zonolite Co. sold to W.R. Grace and Co.

1967: Lilas "Shorty" Welch is first W.R. Grace employee from Libby mine to file claim for asbestos disease under Occupational Disease Act.

April 15, 1986: Montana Supreme Court hands down decision in Gidley vs. W.R. Grace lawsuit, ruling Libby workers and family members could pursue civil action against Grace.

1990: Grace closes the vermiculite mine, citing economic downturn.

1994: Grace sells mine property to two Libby area loggers and former vice president of Grace's construction products division.

Nov. 14, 1999: The Daily Inter Lake publishes "Fall from Grace," an in-depth look at lingering asbestos problems in Libby.

Nov. 18, 1999: Seattle Post-Intelligencer publishes "Uncivil Action: A Town Left to Die," chronicling Libby asbestos situation.

Nov. 21, 1999: State and federal agencies decide to investigate whether asbestos still threatens Libby residents.

Nov. 30, 1999: First community meeting on asbestos, attended by 550 people.

Dec. 10, 1999: Environmental Protection Agency opens office in Libby; asbestos testing of area homes and businesses begins.

Dec. 13, 1999: W.R. Grace & Co. opens office in Libby.

Dec. 16, 1999: At public meeting, state medical officer says 300 people from Libby area have been diagnosed with asbestos-related lung disease.

Dec. 24, 1999: EPA completes first round of asbestos testing.

Jan. 13, 2000: Libby health officials unveil $6.8 million plan for asbestos screening and ongoing health care during meeting with U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont. Hospital CEO Rick Palagi estimates 4,000 people will want to be screened.

Jan. 14, 2000: EPA expands investigation of asbestos-related death to include sites across the nation that received ore from Libby mine.

Jan. 17, 2000: U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., meets with Libby asbestos victims.

Jan. 17, 2000: Team of investigators from Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry begins assessing ongoing health risks from asbestos.

Jan. 20, 2000: EPA holds meeting to form community advisory group for asbestos issues.

Jan. 20, 2000: W.R. Grace says it will donate $250,000 for asbestos screenings and offer medical coverage to people diagnosed with asbestos-related illness.

Jan. 31, 2000: EPA testing shows asbestos trouble spots at the former expansion plant area used by the mine and former railroad loading facility, plus two homes.

Feb. 2, 2000: EPA holds town meeting to explain preliminary test results.

Feb. 11, 2000: Class-action lawsuit filed against W.R. Grace, in addition to 140 personal-injury lawsuits still pending.

Feb. 15, 2000: U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee holds field hearing in Libby on asbestos situation.

March 10, 2000: EPA begins second round of testing on 35 homes.

March 20, 2000: EPA announces two additional homes have air problems.

March 23, 2000: Federal investigators say that, except for some former W.R. Grace sites, there appears to be little current risk in Libby today.

April 18, 2000: W.R. Grace rejects Environmental Protection Agency plan to clean asbestos contamination from two former mine sites.

May 31, 2000: At community meeting, Libby residents and officials evaluate environmental cleanup plans and a screening program to detect asbestos-related disease.

June 26, 2000: $12 million federal aid package for health care and economic development approved.

June 28, 2000: Free medical testing begins to find evidence of exposure to asbestos.

July 17, 2000: Center for Asbestos Related Disease opens in Libby.

July 21, 2000: Grace repurchases mine property from Kootenai Development Corp. and refuses EPA access to site.

July 26, 2000: Support group forms in Libby to help residents deal with emotional and physical impacts of asbestos exposure.

Aug. 7, 2000: Libby City Council Monday appoints committee to oversee $8.5 million federal appropriation for economic development.

Sept. 8, 2000: Grace allows EPA partial access to mine site, but still won't allow agency to haul contaminated soil to the mine.

Sept. 21, 2000: Three-day conference on asbestos and public health issues begins in Libby.

Nov. 1, 2000: Preliminary results show 9-10 percent of people in screening program have been referred for more evaluation.

Nov. 2, 2000: Screening ends; 6,800 people tested.

April 2001: EPA paves entrance road to vermiculite mine in preparation for hauling toxic soil back to mine.

April 2001: Grace files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

May 2001: Libby Asbestos Memorial Project organizes; 130 white crosses posted in memory of asbestos victims.

August 2001: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry reports one in five people tested in Libby showed lung abnormalities.

September 2001: EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman visits Libby, tells residents "you are the center of attention in the nation's eye."

December 2001: Gov. Judy Martz announces intention to use "Silver Bullet" Superfund designation to put Libby cleanup on fast track.

August 2004: U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy of Missoula orders W.R. Grace to repay the government $54.5 million for cleanup efforts in asbestos-tainted areas of Libby.

Oct. 29, 2004: W.R. Grace becomes target of federal grand jury investigation relating to possible violations of environmental laws in Montana.