Established in 1864 as amining camp in the northernRocky Mountains on theContinental Divide, Butte experienced rapid development in the late 19th century, and was Montana's first major industrial city.[3] In its heyday between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was one of the largest copperboom towns in theAmerican West. Employment opportunities in the mines attracted surges of European and Asian immigrants, particularly theIrish;[4] as of 2017, Butte has the largest population ofIrish Americans per capita of any U.S. city.
Over the course of its history, Butte's mining andsmelting operations generated more than $48 billion worth ofore, but also resulted in numerous environmental implications for the city: The upperClark Fork River, with headwaters at Butte, is the largestSuperfund site in the nation, and the city is also home to theBerkeley Pit. In the late 20th century, theEPA instated cleanup efforts, and theButte Citizens Technical Environmental Committee was established in 1984. In the 21st century, efforts to interpret and preserve Butte's heritage are addressing both the town's historical significance and the continuing importance of mining to its economy and culture. The city's Uptown Historic District, on theNational Register of Historic Places, is one of the largestNational Historic Landmark Districts in the U.S., containing nearly 6,000 contributing properties. The city is also home toMontana Technological University, a public engineering and technical university.
Before Butte's formal establishment in 1864, the area consisted of a mining camp that had developed in the early 1860s.[5] The city is in the Silver Bow Creek Valley (or Summit Valley), a natural bowl sitting high in the Rockies straddling theContinental Divide,[6] positioned on the southwestern side of a large mass ofgranite known as theBoulder Batholith, which dates to theCretaceous era.[7] In 1874, William L. Farlin founded the Asteroid Mine (subsequently known as the Travona), which attracted a significant number of prospectors seekinggold andsilver.[7] The mines attracted workers fromCornwall (England),[8] Ireland, Wales, Lebanon, Canada, Finland, Austria, Italy, China,Montenegro, Mexico, and more.[9] In the ethnic neighborhoods, young men formed gangs to protect their territory and socialize into adult life, including the Irish of Dublin Gulch, the Eastern Europeans of the McQueen Addition, and the Italians of Meaderville.[10][page needed]
Butte courthouse and additional buildings, 1885
Among the migrants were many Chinese who set up businesses that created a Chinatown in Butte.[4] The Chinese migrations stopped in 1882 with the passage of theChinese Exclusion Act. There was anti-Chinese sentiment in the 1870s and onward, exacerbated by economic depression, and in 1895, the chamber of commerce and labor unions started a boycott of Chinese-owned businesses. The business owners fought back by suing the unions and won. The history of the Chinese migrants in Butte is documented in theMai Wah Museum.[11][12]
The influx of miners gave Butte a reputation as a wide-open town where any vice was obtainable. The city's saloon and red-light district, called the "Line" or "The Copper Block", centered on Mercury Street, where the elegantbordellos included the famousDumas Brothel.[13] Behind the brothel was the equally famousVenus Alley, where women plied their trade in small cubicles called "cribs."[13] The red-light district brought miners and other men from all over the region and remained open until 1982 after the closure of the Dumas Brothel; the city's red-light was one of the last such urban districts in the country.[13] Commercial breweries first opened in Butte in the 1870s, and were a staple of the city's early economy; they were usually run by German immigrants, including Leopold Schmidt, Henry Mueller, and Henry Muntzer. The breweries were always staffed by union workers. Most ethnic groups in Butte, from Germans and Irish to Italians and various Eastern Europeans, including children, enjoyed the locally brewed lagers, bocks, and other types of beer.[14]
The Anselmo Mine, one of many in Butte, opened in 1887.
In the late 19th century, copper was in great demand because of new technologies such as electric power that required the use of copper. Industrial magnates fought for control of Butte's mining wealth. These "Copper Kings" wereWilliam A. Clark,[15]Marcus Daly,James Andrew Murray andF. Augustus Heinze.[7] The Anaconda Copper Mining Company began in 1881 whenMarcus Daly bought a small mine named the Anaconda. He was a part-owner, mine manager and engineer of the Alice, a silver mine in Walkerville, a suburb of Butte. While working in the Alice, he noticed significant quantities of high-grade copper ore. Daly obtained permission to inspect nearby workings. After his employers, the Walker Brothers, refused to buy the Anaconda, Daly sold his interest in the Alice and bought it himself. He asked San Francisco mining magnateGeorge Hearst for additional support. Hearst agreed to buy one-fourth of the new company's stock without visiting the site. While mining the silver left in his mine, huge deposits ofcopper were soon developed and Daly became a copper magnate. When surrounding silver mines "played out" and closed, Daly quietly bought up the neighboring mines, forming a mining company. He built a smelter atAnaconda, Montana (a company town), and connected it to Butte by railway. Anaconda Company eventually owned all the mines on Butte Hill.[16]
Between 1884 and 1888, W. A. Clark constructed theCopper King Mansion in Butte, which became his second residence from his home inNew York City.[17] In 1899, he also purchased theColumbia Gardens, a small park he developed into anamusement park, featuring a pavilion, roller coaster, and a lake for swimming and canoeing. Clark's expansion of the park was intended to "provide a place where children and families could get away from the polluted air of the Butte mining industry."[18] The city's rapid expansion was noted in an 1889 frontier survey: "Butte, Montana, fifteen years ago a small placer-mining village clinging to the mountain side, has now risen to the rank of the first mining camp of the world... [It] is now the most populous city of Montana, numbering twenty-five thousand active, enterprising, prosperous inhabitants."[19] In 1888 alone, mining operations in Butte generated an "almost inconceivable" output of $23 million (equivalent to $804,914,815 in 2024) worth of ore.[19]
Copper ore mined from the Butte mining district in 1910 alone totaled 284,000,000 pounds (129,000,000 kg); at the time, Butte was the largest producer of copper in North America and rivaled in worldwide metal production only bySouth Africa.[7] The same year, in excess of 10,000,000 troy ounces (310,000 kg) ofsilver and 37,000 troy ounces (1,200 kg) ofgold were also discovered.[7] The amount of ore produced in the city earned it the nickname "The Richest Hill on Earth."[7] With its large workforce of miners performing in physically dangerous conditions, Butte was the site of activelabor union movements, and came to be known as "the Gibraltar of Unionism."[20][21]
By 1885, there were about 1,800 dues-paying members of a general union in Butte. That year the union reorganized as theButte Miners' Union (BMU), spinning off all non-miners to separatecraft unions. Some of these joined theKnights of Labor, and by 1886 the separate organizations came together to form the Silver Bow Trades and Labor Assembly, with 34 separate unions representing nearly all of the 6,000 workers around Butte.[22] The BMU established branch unions in mining towns like Barker, Castle, Champion,Granite, andNeihart, and extended support to other mining camps hundreds of miles away. In 1892 there wasa violent strike inCoeur d'Alene.[23] Although the BMU was experiencing relatively friendly relations with local management, the events in Idaho were disturbing. The BMU not only sent thousands of dollars to support the Idaho miners, they mortgaged their buildings to send more.[24]
Frank Little, anIWW organizer who was lynched in Butte in 1917
In 1899, Daly,William Rockefeller,Henry H. Rogers, andThomas W. Lawson organized the Amalgamated Copper Mining Company.[30] Not long after, the company changed its name toAnaconda Copper Mining Company (ACM). Over the years, Anaconda was owned by assorted larger corporations. In the 1920s, it had a virtual monopoly over the mines in and around Butte.[31] Between approximately 1900 and 1917, Butte also had a strong streak ofSocialist politics, even electing MayorLewis J. Duncan on the Socialist ticket in 1911, and again in 1913; Duncan was impeached in 1914 for neglecting duties after a bombing in the city's miners' hall in 1914.[32][33]
Butte also established itself as "one of the most solid union cities in America."[34] After 1905, it became a hotbed ofIndustrial Workers of the World (IWW, or the "Wobblies") organizing.[35] Rivalry between IWW supporters and the WFM locals culminated in theButte, Montana labor riots of 1914, and resulted in the loss of union recognition by the mine owners.[36] After the dissolution of the Miners' Union, the Anaconda Company attempted to inaugurate programs aimed at enticing employees.[36] A number of clashes between laborers, labor organizers, and the Anaconda Company ensued, including the 1917 lynching of IWW executive board officerFrank Little.[37] In 1920, company mine guards gunned down strikers in theAnaconda Road Massacre.[38] Seventeen were shot in the back as they tried to flee, and one man died.[39]
Sparked by a tragic accident more than 2,000 feet (600 m) below the ground on June 8, 1917, a fire in theGranite Mountain mineshaft spewed flames, smoke, and poisonous gas through the labyrinth of tunnels including the connected Speculator Mine.[40] A rescue effort commenced, butcarbon monoxide was contaminating the air supply.[41][42] Several men barricaded themselves againstbulkheads to save their lives, but many others died in a panic to try to escape.[42] Rescue workers set up a fan to prevent the fire from spreading. This worked for a short time, but when the rescuers tried to use water, it evaporated, creatingsteam that burned those trying to escape.[43] Once the fire had been extinguished, recovery of the deceased began; many of the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition, leaving many unidentified.[44] The disaster claimed a total of 168 lives.[45] As of 2017, the event remained the largest hard rock mining accident in history.[46] The Granite Mountain Memorial in Butte commemorates those who died in the accident.[47]
Protests and strikes began after the Speculator Mine disaster, as well as the establishment of the Metal Mine Workers Union; about 15,000 workers abandoned their jobs in the disaster's wake.[48] Between 1914 and 1920, theU.S. National Guard occupied Butte six times to restore civility.[48] In 1917, copper production from the Butte mines peaked and steadily declined thereafter. By WWII, copper production from the ACM's holdings inChuquicamata, Chile, far exceeded Butte's production.[49][50]
In 1919, women's rights activistMargaret Jane Steele Rozsa became a food inspector for Butte, and immediately began pressing for change to questionable practices by several county commissioners who had been keeping the community's cost of living artificially high by, among other things, allowing carloads of perishable foods to rot on unloaded trains at the railroad station.[51][52] She also "was instrumental in getting senate bill No. 19 through the legislature" that year to ensure that 199 tubercular soldiers who had served inWorld War I would be given "preference of entry to the Galen hospital", and that the legislature would authorize $20,000 to build additional dormitories at the hospital to make that care possible since hospital admissions were already at capacity.[53] In 1921, she became the first female prohibition inspector in the city.[54]
Patrons at a matinee ofThe Phantom Foe at the American Theater, December 25, 19201942 view of the city
Disputes between miners' unions and companies continued through the 1920s and 1930s,[55] with several strikes and protests, one of which lasted for ten months in 1921.[56] On New Year's Eve 1922, protestors attempted to detonate the Hibernian Hall on Main Street withdynamite.[56][57]
Further industrial expansions included the arrival of the first mail plane in 1928, and in 1937, the city'sstreetcar system was dismantled and replaced by bus lines.[56] After the 1920s, the ACM began to reduce its activities in Butte due to the labor-intensivity of underground mining, as well as competition from other mine holdings in South America.[48] This led the Anaconda Company to switch its focus in Butte fromunderground mining toopen pit mining.[48]
Since the 1950s, five major developments in the city have occurred: the Anaconda's decision to begin open-pit mining in the mid-1950s,[48] a series of fires in Butte's business district in the 1970s,[58] a debate over whether to relocate the city's historic business district, a new civic leadership, and the end of copper mining in 1983. In response, Butte looked for ways to diversify the economy and provide employment. The legacy of over a century ofenvironmental degradation has, for example, produced some jobs. Environmental cleanup in Butte, designated a Superfund site, has employed hundreds of people.[59]
Thousands of homes were destroyed in the Meaderville suburb and surrounding areas, McQueen and East Butte, to excavate theBerkeley Pit, whichAnaconda Copper opened in 1954.[56][48] When it opened, the Berkeley Pit was the largest truck-operated open pit copper mine in the nation.[60] It grew until it began encroaching on the Columbia Gardens.[61] After the Gardens caught fire and burned to the ground in November 1973, the Continental Pit was excavated on the former park site.[62] In 1977, theARCO (Atlantic Richfield Company) purchased Anaconda, and three years later started shutting down mines due to lower metal prices.[63] In 1983,[64] all mining in the Berkeley Pit was suspended. The same year, an organization of low-income and unemployed Butte residents formed to fight for jobs andenvironmental justice; the Butte Community Union produced a detailed plan for community revitalization and won substantial benefits, including aMontana Supreme Court victory striking down as unconstitutional state elimination of welfare benefits.[65] After mining ceased at the Berkeley Pit, water pumps in nearby mines were also shut down, which resulted in highly acidic water laced with toxic heavy metals filling up the pit.[66]
The Berkeley Pit in 1984
Anaconda ceased mining at the Continental Pit in 1983.Montana Resources LLP bought the property and reopened the Continental Pit in 1986.[67] The company ceased mining in 2000, but resumed in 2003.[68]
From 1880 through 2005, the mines of the Butte district produced more than 9.6 million metric tons of copper, 2.1 million metric tons of zinc, 1.6 million metric tons of manganese, 381,000 metric tons of lead, 87,000 metric tons of molybdenum, 715 million troy ounces (22,200 t) of silver, and 2.9 million troy ounces (90 t) of gold.[69]
Fourteenheadframes still remain over mine shafts in Butte,[70] and the city still contains thousands of historic commercial and residential buildings from the boom times,[71] which, especially in Uptown, give it an old-fashioned appearance, with many commercial buildings not fully occupied; according to a 2016 estimate, there were "hundreds" of unoccupied buildings in Butte, resulting in an ordinance to keep record of owners.[72] Preservation efforts of the city's historic buildings began in the late 1990s.[73] As with many industrial cities, tourism and services, especially health care[74] (Butte's St. James Hospital has Southwest Montana's only major trauma center), are rising as primary employers, as well as industrial-sector private companies.[74] Many areas of the city, especially those near the old mines, show signs of urban blight, but a recent influx of investors and an aggressive campaign to remedy blight has led to a renewed interest in restoring property in Uptown Butte's historic district,[75] which expanded in 2006 to include parts ofAnaconda and is one of the largestNational Historic Landmark Districts in the U.S., with 5,991 contributing properties.[76][77]
A century after the era of intensive mining and smelting, environmental issues remain in areas around the city.Arsenic and heavy metals such aslead are found in high concentrations in some spots affected by old mining, and for a period of time in the 1990s the tap water was unsafe to drink due to poor filtration and decades-old wooden supply pipes. Efforts to improve the water supply have taken place in the early 2000s, with millions of dollars invested to upgrade water lines and repair infrastructure. Environmental research and cleanup efforts have contributed to the diversification of the local economy and signs of vitality, including the introduction of a multimillion-dollar polysilicon manufacturing plant nearby in the 1990s.[78] In the late 1990s, Butte was recognized as anAll-America City and as one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Dozen Distinctive Destinations in 2002.[79]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, Butte-Silver Bow has an area of 716.82 sq mi (1,856.55 km2), of which 716.25 sq mi (1,855.07 km2) is land and 0.57 sq mi (1.48 km2) (0.08%) is water.[80] The city is on the U.S.Continental Divide.[6] Every highway exiting Butte (except westbound I-90) crosses the Divide (eastbound I-90 via Homestake Pass; eastbound MT 2 via Pipestone Pass; northbound I-15 via Elk Park Pass and southbound I-15 via Deer Lodge Pass).[a]
The city was named for a nearby landform, Big Butte, by the early miners.[82][83] Butte's urban landscape is notable for including mining operations set within residential areas, visible in the form of various headframes throughout the city.[84]
The concentration of wealth in Butte due to its mining history resulted in unique and ornate architectural features[85] among its homes and buildings, particularly in the uptown section.[86] Uptown, named for its steep streets,[87] is on a hillside on the northwestern edge of the town and characterized by its abundance of lavishVictorian homes andQueen Anne style cottages built in the late 19th century.[86] Several of Butte's "painted ladies" homes were featured in Elizabeth Pomada's 1987 bookDaughters of Painted Ladies.[86][88] Butte-Silver Bow County has an established Urban Revitalization Agency that works to improve building façades to "enhance and promote the architectural resources of historic uptown Butte."[86] In 2017, a television pilot titledButteification aired onHGTV, which focused on a couple restoring a Victorian home in Butte.[89]
Butte's South district, at a lower elevation than the hillside that comprises northern Butte, has historically been home to working-class neighborhoods.[90] Gold mines originally populated south Butte before it was platted for theUnion Pacific Railroad in 1881.[90]
The expansion of the Anaconda Company in the 1960s and 1970s eradicated some of Butte's historic neighborhoods, including the East Side, Dublin Gulch, Meaderville, andChinatown.[91] The St. Mary's section, which borders uptown to the east, comprised the Dublin Gulch (an enclave forIrish immigrants) and Corktown neighborhoods.[92] It takes its name from the eponymousRoman Catholic parish within it,[93] historically known as the "miner's church", scheduling masses around miners' shifting schedules.[92] Historically, the St. Mary's section of Butte had a prominent population ofSlavic andFinnish immigrants in addition to Irish before the mid-20th century.[92]
Butte has a coldsemi-arid climate (BSk) under theKöppen Climate Classification. Winters are long and cold, January averaging 20.0 °F (−6.7 °C), with 30.9 nights falling below 0 °F (−18 °C) and 53.8 days failing to top freezing.[94] Summers are short, with very warm days and chilly nights: July averages 63.6 °F (17.6 °C). Like most areas in this part of North America, annual precipitation is low and largely concentrated in the spring: the wettest month since precipitation records began in 1894 was June 1913, with 8.86 inches (225 mm), while no precipitation fell in September 1904.[95] The wettest calendar year was 1909, with 20.55 inches (522 mm) and the driest was 2021, with 6.49 inches (165 mm). Snowfall is somewhat limited by dryness: the most in one month being 41.5 inches (1,050 mm) in May 1927 and the greatest depth on the ground 27 inches (690 mm) on December 28 and 29, 1996.[96]
The coldest month was January 1937, with a daily mean temperature of −5.5 °F (−20.8 °C), while the coldest complete winter was 1948–49, with a three-month mean of 6.69 °F (−14.06 °C), and the mildest 1925–26, which averaged 29.21 °F (−1.55 °C). July 2007 was easily the hottest month, with a mean maximum of 88.8 °F (31.6 °C), although the hottest day, reaching 100 °F (38 °C), was July 22, 1931. The coldest temperature recorded was −52 °F (−47 °C) on February 9, 1933, and December 23, 1983.[96]
Climate data for Butte, Montana (Bert Mooney Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1894–present
As of the2020 census, there were 34,494 people and 14,605 households residing in Butte-Silver Bow,[80] giving apopulation density of 48.2 people per square mile (18.6 people/km2). Per the US Census' 2019American Community Survey, the racial makeup of the city was 94.3%White, 0.6%African American, 2.3%Native American, 0.8%Asian, 0.0%Pacific Islander, and 1.9% from two or more races.[80]Hispanic orLatino people of any race accounted for 4.6% of the population.[80] Of ethnic groups in Butte, theIrish make up a significant portion, with over one-quarter of the city's population claiming Irish descent, exceeding the percentage of Irish Americans inBoston.[99] Per capita, Butte has the highest percentage ofIrish Americans of any city in the United States.[99]
Per the 2019 American Community Survey, the average household size was 2.24 persons, 6.0% of the population is under the age of 5, 20.1% under the age of 18, and 18.7% are 65 years of age or older. 49.3% of residents were female.[80] From 2015 to 2019, the median income for a household in the city was $45,797, and 17.3% of families were below thepoverty line.[80]
Some sources say that Butte had a peak population of nearly 100,000 around 1920, but no documentation corroborates this,[21] though it has been reasoned by local journalists based oncity directory data.[b] The city's population sank to a minimum around 1990 and has stabilized since then; the apparent jump in the 1980 census was due to the city's consolidation with all ofSilver Bow County exceptWalkerville.
As a mining boom town, Butte's economy was historically powered by its copious mining operations. Silver and gold were initially the primary metals mined in Butte, but the abundance of copper in the area further invigorated the local economy with the advent of electricity, which created a soaring demand for the metal.[7] AfterWorld War I, Butte's mining economy experienced a downward trend that continued throughout the 20th century, until mining operations ceased in 1985 with the closure of the Berkeley Pit.[7] Over the course of its history, the city's mining operations generated over $48 billion worth of ore, making it for a time the richest city in the world.[102]
Much of the city's economy since 2000 has been focused in energy companies (such as theRenewable Energy Corporation andNorthWestern Energy) and healthcare.[74] In 2014, NorthWestern Energy constructed a $25-million facility in uptown.[103]
In 1977, Butte consolidated withSilver Bow County, becoming aconsolidated city-county. It operates under a city-county government. The office of the mayor was eliminated. Mario Micone was the last mayor of Butte. In 1977, he became the first Chief Executive of Butte-Silver Bow County.[104][105]
Politically, Butte has historically been aDemocratic stronghold, owing to its union legacy. Likewise, Silver Bow County has historically been one of Montana's strongest Democratic bastions.[106][107] In 1996, Haley Beaudry became the first Republican to represent Butte in the state legislature since 1950.[106] In 2010,Max Yates was the next Butte Republican elected to the legislature; neither Beaudry nor Yates was reelected.[106] In 2014, Butte became the third city in Montana to pass an anti-discrimination ordinance protectingLGBT residents and visitors from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.[108]
Copper King Mansion, built between 1884 and 1888 for magnateWilliam A. ClarkA crowd gathers for the Montana Folk Festival in 2015. "The Original"headframe is converted into a stage during the annual festival.
Butte is home to numerous museums and other educational institutions chronicling its history. In 2002, Butte was one of only 12 U.S. towns to be named a Distinctive Destination by theNational Trust for Historic Preservation.[79][110] The Butte Silver Bow Public Library, at 226 W. Broadway, is dedicated to preserving the town's history.[111] The library was created in 1894 as "an antidote to the miners' proclivity for drinking, whoring, and gambling," designed to promote middle-class values and to promote an image of Butte as a cultivated city.[112][113] Additionally, the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives stores and provides public access to documents and artifacts from Butte's past.[114]
Theodore Roosevelt statement Butte was mercurialDigenite-pyrite specimen from the old Leonard Mine, display at MBMG Mineral Museum
Several museums and attractions are dedicated to the city's mining history, including the MBMG Mineral Museum (on theMontana Tech campus), and the World Museum of Mining, at the Orphan Girl mine in uptown Butte, which features "Hell Roarin' Gulch", a mockup of a frontier mining town.[115] TheBerkeley Pit, a gigantic former open pit copper mine, is also open to the public for viewing.[66] Other museums are dedicated to preserving cultural elements of Butte: TheDumas Brothel museum, a former brothel, is inVenus Alley, Butte's former historicalred-light district.[116] Another notable site is the Rookwood Speakeasy, a prohibition-eraspeakeasy that features anunderground city,[117] and theMai Wah Museum, dedicated to preservingAsian heritage in the Rocky Mountains.[118]
The 34-roomCopper King Mansion in uptown Butte was constructed in 1884 byWilliam A. Clark, one of the city's threeCopper Kings.[87] The mansion functions as a bed-and-breakfast and local museum, and is often reported to behaunted.[119] The Art Chateau, at one time home to Clark's son, Charles, was designed in the image of a Frenchchâteau, and houses the Butte-Silver Bow Arts Foundation.[120]
Our Lady of the Rockies, Butte, America
Above Butte on the northeast edge of the city is theOur Lady of the Rockies statue, a 90-foot (27 m) statue of theBlessed Virgin Mary, dedicated to women and mothers everywhere, atop theContinental Divide.[121] The statue was airlifted to the site on December 17, 1985, after six years of construction.[122] Butte is also home to the U.S. High Altitude Speed Skating Center, an outdoor speed-skating rink used as a training location forWorld Cup skaters.[123]
Throughout uptown and western Butte are over ten underground mineheadframes that are remnants from the town's mining industry. These include the Anselmo, the Steward, the Original, the Travona, the Belmont, the Kelly, the Mountain Con, the Lexington, the Bell/Diamond, the Granite Mountain, and the Badger. As part of a community project started around 2004, several headframes were repainted and outlined withLED lights which are illuminated at night.[124]
A larger annual celebration isEvel Knievel Days, held on the last weekend of July, celebrating Evel Knievel (a Butte native).[129] The weekend-long event, held in Uptown Butte, features various stunt performances, sporting competitions, fundraisers, and live music.[129]
Butte is perhaps becoming most renowned for the regional Montana Folk Festival[3] held on the second weekend in July. This event began its run in Butte as the National Folk Festival from 2008 to 2010 and in 2011 made the transition to a free-of-admission music festival.[130] Also in the summer is Butte'sFourth of July Parade and Fireworks show.[131] In 2008,Barack Obama spent the last Fourth of July before his presidency campaigning in Butte, taking in the parade with his family, and celebrating his daughterMalia Obama's 10th birthday.[132]
Montana Folk Festival, Butte, AmericaM & M Bar & Cafe, Butte, America
Butte's legacy of immigrants lives on in the form of various local cuisine, including theCornish pasty, popularized by mine workers who needed something easy to eat in the mines, thepovitica—a Slavic nut bread pastry which is a holiday favorite sold in many supermarkets and bakeries in Butte[133]—and the boneless porkchop sandwich.[3][134] ThePekin Noodle Parlor in Uptown is the oldest family-owned, continuously operating Chinese restaurant in the U.S.[135]
Because its water contains high concentrations of metals such as copper and zinc, the Berkeley Pit is listed as a federal Superfund site.
After theBerkeley Pit mining operation closed in 1982, pipes that pumped groundwater out of the pit were turned off, resulting in the pit slowly filling with groundwater, creating an artificial lake.[66] Only two years later the pit was classified as aSuperfund site and an environmental hazard site. The water in the pit is contaminated with various hard metals, such asarsenic,cadmium, andzinc.[66]
It was not until the 1990s that serious efforts to clean up the Berkeley Pit began. The situation gained even more attention after as many as 342 migrating geese chose the pit lake as a resting place, resulting in their deaths.[66] Steps have since been taken to prevent a recurrence, including but not limited to loudspeakers broadcasting sounds to scare off waterfowl. In November 2003, the Horseshoe Bend treatment facility went online and began treating and diverting much of the water that would have flowed into the pit.[136] The Berkeley Pit is both a Superfund site and tourist attraction, viewable from an observation deck.[66] Per a 2014 report, scientists believe the Berkeley Pit may reach the critical water level—potentially contaminating Silver Bow Creek—by 2023.[136] Beginning in 2019, theEnvironmental Protection Agency ordered the Montana Resources and Atlantic Richfield Co. to begin treating water from the pit, which is to then be discharged into Silver Bow Creek at a rate of 7,000,000 US gallons (26,000,000 L) per day.[136] Nikia Greene, EPA project manager formine flooding, said in 2014: "The pit is a giant bathtub. There's ahydraulic gradient into the pit. We will never let the water reach the critical level."[136]
The UpperClark Fork River, with Butte at the headwaters, is America's largest Superfund site, spanning 100 miles (160 km).[137] This area takes in the cities of Butte,Anaconda, andMissoula. Butte's mining and smelting activity resulted in significant contamination of the Butte Hill as well as downstream and downwind areas. Thecontaminated land extends along a corridor of 120 miles (190 km) that reaches to Milltown and takes in adjacent areas such as the Anaconda smelter site. Contaminated sediment flooded out from abandoned mines was the root cause of the pollution at the headwaters of the Clark Fork River.[138]
Butte community science and art education
Between the upstream city of Butte and the downstream city of Missoula lies the Deer Lodge Valley. By the 1970s, local citizens and agency personnel were increasingly concerned over the toxic effects ofarsenic and heavy metals on environment and human health. The Anaconda Copper Mining Corporation (ACM), which merged with the Atlantic Richfield Corporation (ARCO) in 1977, is considered one of the parties responsible for the contamination.[139] Shortly thereafter, in 1983, ARCO ceased mining and smelting operations in the Butte-Anaconda area.[140]
For more than a century, the Anaconda Copper Mining company mined ore from Butte and smelted it in Butte (untilc. 1920) and Anaconda. During this time, the Anaconda smelter released up to 40short tons (36 t) per day of arsenic, 1,700 short tons (1,540 t) per day of sulfur, and great quantities of lead and other heavy metals into the air.[141] In Butte, mine tailings were dumped directly into Silver Bow Creek, creating a 150 miles (240 km) plume of pollution extending down the valley to Milltown Dam on the Clark Fork River, just upstream of Missoula. Air- and waterborne pollution poisoned livestock and agricultural soils throughout the Deer Lodge Valley. Modern environmental cleanup efforts have continued into the 21st century.[d]
University teams include theMontana Tech Orediggers, who have competed in theFrontier Conference of theNAIA since the league's founding in 1952. The school hosts men's and women's basketball, football, golf, and women's volleyball.[151]
In October 2020, Butte was awarded a team in theExpedition League to begin play in May 2021.[152]
The city is served by the Butte Bus system, which operates within Butte as well as to the Montana Tech campus and nearbyWalkerville.[153] Intercity bus service is provided byJefferson Lines and Salt Lake Express.[154]Bert Mooney Airport has commercial flights onDelta Connection Airlines.
Homestake pass, Butte, America
Butte can be accessed viaInterstate 15 from north–south, andInterstate 90 from east–west; the two intersect in Butte, making Butte and Billings the only cities in Montana situated at a juncture of two interstate highways. The city can also be accessed from the south viaMontana Highway 2 (Old U.S. Route 10).[155]
Butte High School enrolls around 1,300 students.[159] In correspondence with the Butte Public Schools system, the Butte Education Foundation was established in 2006, which aims to revitalize the public schools in an effort to attract new businesses and residents.[160] In the foundation's mission statement, it is noted that there is a "need to demonstrate a genuine and ongoing commitment to public education. Schools are often the first thing visitors ask about when looking at Butte as a potential new home."[160]
The first institute of higher education in Butte was the Montana School of Mines, which was established in 1889, the year of Montana's statehood.[164] The university changed its name toMontana Tech in the mid-20th century, and in 1994 became affiliated with theUniversity of Montana.[165] The university specializes in engineering as well asgeologic andhydrogeologic research.[164] It was ranked no. 4 byU.S. News & World Report in 2017 for "Best Regional Colleges in the West."[165] Montana Tech of the University of Montana officially changed its name to Montana Technological University in 2018.[166] Montana Technological University is also home to Highlands College, a two-year college that grants associate's and trade degrees.[167]
Butte shares itsNielsen market with nearbyBozeman, with which it forms the 194th largest TV market in the United States. Local television stations include:KXLF (Channel 4), an affiliate ofCBS, member of theMontana Television Network (MTN) and the oldest broadcast television station in the state of Montana; KTVM (Channel 6), anNBC affiliate that is part of the regionalNBC Montana network;KUSM (Channel 9), aPBS member station broadcasting out ofMontana State University in Bozeman; andKWYB (Channel 19), anABC affiliate withFOX on its second digital subchannel and last of the "Big Three" networks to come into the market. Prior to KWYB's sign-on, Butte received ABC from the network's then-Denver affiliateKUSA-TV inDenver, Colorado and FOX from now-defunct Butte stationKBTZ.[169]
Butte has one local daily, a weekly paper, as well as several papers from around the state.The Montana Standard is Butte's daily paper. It was founded in 1928 and is the result ofThe Butte Miner and theAnaconda Standard merging into one daily paper.[170] TheStandard is owned byLee Enterprises.The Butte Weekly is another local paper.[171]
The city has been subject of several documentary films, includingDie Vergessene Stadt: Butte, Montana (1992), a German documentary by Thomas Schadt,[180] andButte, America (2008), narrated byGabriel Byrne.[181]
One of the earliest literary depictions of Butte was byMary MacLane, a diarist who wrote of her life growing up in the town at the turn of the 20th century. Her diaries are published under the titleI Await the Devil's Coming, and have been credited as a progenitor ofconfessional writing.[182] Butte answers to the unflattering description of the fictional city of Poisonville inDashiell Hammett's novelRed Harvest, which also alludes to the 1920Anaconda Road Massacre.[183] The 1980 novelThe Butte Polka byDonald McCaig also incorporates the city's mining history into its plot, featuring a character who goes missing from his post at a Butte copper mine.[184]
More contemporary literary depictions of Butte can be found in 1998'sBuster Midnight's Cafe by Sandra Dallas[185] and Jon A. Jackson'shistorical fiction novelGo By Go, which depicts the 1917Speculator Mine disaster.[186]Ivan Doig's 2010 novelWork Song and 2013 novelSweet Thunder are set in Butte in 1919 and 1920 respectively, after World War I.[187] Michael Corrigan'sConfessions of a Shanty Irishman has a chapter-story set in Butte during the Speculator mining disaster and riots.[citation needed] Irish writer,Kevin Barry's 2024 novel,The Heart in Winter draws on the history of late 19th century Butte, providing vivid depictions of the city's wild west atmosphere and characters, with particular attention to the Irish immigrants who lived there.
Novelist Marian Jensen has published amystery series,Mining City Mysteries, which is set in Butte and the surrounding region.[188]
^While the U.S. Census data shows a population of around 60,000 in 1920, acity directory from 1917 notes Butte's population as being 91,000, while the 1918 directory estimates 93,000. The variance between 1918 and the 1920 census is reflected in the city directories, which fall to 60,000 after 1920.[100] The variance in population reports has been attributed to the city's near-constant fluctuation of visitors, immigrants, and temporary boarders during this time.[101]
^Since the city and county did not consolidate until 1977, prior election results reflect the county only and not the city.
^As of 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains a database entry detailing the Silver Bow Creek/Butte area's pollution and cleanup efforts.[142]
^Hitchcock, Calyn. "Biographical Sketch of Margaret Jane Steele Rozsa," inBiographical Dictionary of the Woman Suffrage Movement in the United States: "Part III: Mainstream Suffragists—National American Woman Suffrage Association." Ann Arbor, Michigan: Alexander Street, a ProQuest Company, retrieved online May 9, 2021.
^"Probing Butte Food Prices," in "County Agent Notes." Fort Benton, Montana:The River Press, July 30, 1919, p. 4.
^abcd"Mining City timeline".The Montana Standard. Butte, America's decades in photographs. October 4, 2014.Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. RetrievedOctober 28, 2017.
^Malone, Patrick (December 1997). "Butte: Cultural Treasure in a Mining Town".Montana.47 (4):58–67.
^abcHoffman, Matt (January 26, 2015)."Butte's top 10 employers".The Montana Standard.Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. RetrievedOctober 28, 2017.
^ab"South Butte Neighborhood".Explore Big. Montana Historical Society.Archived from the original on October 29, 2017. RetrievedOctober 28, 2017.
^"Lost neighborhoods".The Montana Standard. August 21, 2004. Archived fromthe original on October 24, 2014. RetrievedOctober 29, 2017.(Archive link requires scroll down).
^abc"St. Mary's Neighborhood".Explore Big. Montana Historical Society.Archived from the original on October 29, 2017. RetrievedOctober 28, 2017.
^Thornton, Tracy (September 1, 2014)."Gathering of the Gaels".The Montana Standard.Archived from the original on January 6, 2016. RetrievedOctober 29, 2017.(Archive link requires scroll down).
^abcJohnson, Charles S. (September 15, 2014)."Butte: The bluest of the blue".The Montana Standard.Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. RetrievedOctober 31, 2017.
^Cohen, Micah (June 21, 2012)."Presidential Geography: Montana".The New York Times. FiveThirtyEight.Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. RetrievedOctober 31, 2017.
^Ring, Daniel F. (1993). "The Origins of the Butte Public Library: Some Further Thoughts on Public Library Development in the State of Montana".Libraries & Culture.28 (4):430–444.JSTOR25542594.
^Catalogue of Books in the Butte Free Public Library, Butte: T.E. Butler, 1894,OL7167999M
^Stauffer, Roberta Forsell (August 14, 2001)."Art Chateau Ghost".The Montana Standard.Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. RetrievedOctober 30, 2017.
^"Our Lady of the Rockies timeline".The Montana Standard. December 20, 2015.Archived from the original on October 29, 2017. RetrievedOctober 30, 2017.(Archive link requires scroll down).
^Silve, Maryanne Davis (December 19, 2006)."Making povitica".The Montana Standard.Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. RetrievedOctober 31, 2017.
^Montville, Leigh (2012).Evel: The High-Flying Life of Evel Knievel: American Showman, Daredevil, and Legend. Knopf Doubleday. p. 5.ISBN978-0-767-93052-9.
^"Fire sends actors scurrying".The Montana Standard. September 12, 1974. p. 13.
^Hinick, Walter (August 22, 2015)."'Dead 7' on location".The Montana Standard.Archived from the original on August 29, 2015. RetrievedOctober 30, 2017.(Archive link requires scroll down).
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______. 2004a. Superfund Cleanup Proposal, Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit of the Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site,epa.gov[dead link], accessed December 20, 2004.
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National Academy of Sciences. 2005. The National Academy of Sciences Report on Superfund and Mining Megasites: Lessons from the Coeur d'Alene River Basin. Available atepa.gov
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Case, Bridgette Dawn. "The women's protective union: Union women activists in a union town, 1890-1929" (PhD Dissertation. Montana State University-Bozeman, 2004)online
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LeCain, Timothy. 1998. "Moving Mountains: Technology and Environment in Western Copper Mining." PhD Dissertation, University of Delaware.
Quivik, Frederic. 1998. "Smoke and Tailings: An Environmental History of Copper Smelting Technologies in Montana, 1880–1930." PhD Dissertation, University of Pennsylvania.
Mercier, Laurie. 2001.Anaconda: Labor, Community, and Culture in Montana's Smelter City (University of Illinois Press).
Parrett, Aaron (2015).Literary Butte: A History in Novels & Film. The History Press.ISBN978-1-626-19836-4.
Toole, K. Ross. 1954. "A History of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company: A Study in the Relationships between a State and its People and a Corporation, 1880–1950." PhD Dissertation, University of California-Los Angeles.
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