Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

Montana Day Tripping: Historic Butte in All It's Glory

A day trip to Historic Butte is like a step back in time to the city that was once the largest west of the Mississippi, known as the beating heart of the American West. While presently a thriving city in its own right, the past is still evident, a great way to acknowledge Butte's importance. It's one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the U.S. with more than 6,000 cultural sites, including historic structures, stately mansions, beautifully preserved Victorian buildings, and multiple museums and galleries. There's a lot to see and do, well worth a day in the town or a longer stay.

Wherever you look, historic buildings and plaques pay tribute to Butte's past, from its founding in 1872 due to interest in its underground silver and gold to its prosperity, due to vast copper resources, in the early 1900s. With copper in demand for electrical wiring and needed in WWII, soon Butte was known as the "Richest Hill on Earth." The combination of Copper King and Old West drew a multicultural community, which helped create a unique early 1900s culture.

Tapping into Butte's past is as easy as a stroll through town, admiring the brick facades, signs, and advertisements from the past. As well, a number of tours, landmarks, and museums offer a step back in time to appreciate Butte's history and significance. Take your pick from Old Butte Historical Adventures, Butte Trolley Tour, the World Museum of Mining's 22 acres of outdoor and indoor displays, Copper King Mansion, and, for a final stop, the Granite Mountain Mine Memorial with its far-reaching views of Butte and surrounding mountains.

A fun and informative way to get an overall view of Historic Butte's attractions is to hop aboard the two-hour Butte Trolley Tour. Get acquainted with the important sites and learn about well-known town characters, miners, and scoundrels and how they contributed to making Butte an important urban center. The narration includes history and folklore told in an entertaining way as you travel to the National Historic District, Charles W. Clark Chateau, Victorian neighborhoods, Copper King Mansion, Dumas Brothel Museum, Piccadilly Museum of Transportation, World Museum of Mining, Mai Wah, and our Lady of the Rockies, with a stop at the Berkeley Pit viewing stand. Offered by the Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce, 1000 George St., 406-723-3177, Buttechambersite.org/the-trolley. Daily tours run from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Adults $25, seniors, military $20, students 12-18: $15, children 6-11: $8, 5 and under: free.

Old Butte Historical Adventures offers another view into Butte's past, with family-friendly walking tours covering every decade from the 1890s to the 1950s. Outside and inside Butte's historic buildings, it's an insider's look into Butte's 'rough-and-ready' history, with opulent, decadent, and wild lifestyles. Three different tours, all 2 to 2 1/2 hours, are offered year-round, reservations are recommended. The crowd favorite is the City Underground Tour into Rookwood Speakeasy, a 1950s Barber Shop replica and 1890s City Jail, the East Walking Tour visits Finlen Hotel, Myra Brothel, Tony's Tin Shop, and Cabbage Patch; and the Dellinger Walking Tour explores Butte's historic past in a single building: 1938 Law Offices, a basement containing artifacts and graffiti from 1899-1920, and a pre-1884 overpass across an alley accessing storage and sleeping rooms. 117 North Main St., 406-498-3424, buttetour.info. Adults $20, seniors, students, and military $15.

Set aside enough time for the World Museum of Mining, inside an actual mine yard atop Orphan Girl Mine, producer of silver, lead, and zinc from 1875 to 1956. The museum was founded to preserve Butte's mining and cultural heritage, nicely done with 50 exhibit buildings, 66 exhibits, and countless artifacts. Two different tours of the underground mine are offered; the 65-Foot Level Tour relays tales of miners and mine equipment, and the Underground Mine Tour, a realistic feel for life in a mining camp below the steel headframe, 100 feet to the original shaft station. Make sure to walk through Hell Roaring Gulch's scale replica of an 1890s mining town with its 15 historic buildings, 35 structures constructed from old materials, and filled with period artifacts, a sure way to open your eyes to the lives of thousands of immigrants drawn to Butte for work. The displays include the Chinese Laundry, Sauerkraut Factory, First National Bank, the Union Hall, one-room schoolhouse, General Store, and Saloon, all containing hundreds of artifacts from the turn of the century. If there's time, check out the Miners Memorial Wall, the Remembering Garden, Roy Garret Rock, the Mineral Collection, and the Samie Keith Doll, Miniature & Dollhouse Collection. 155 Museum Way, 406-723-7211,miningmuseum.org. Museum admission: adults $10, seniors $9, ages 5-17 $6. Mine tour: adults $21, seniors $18, ages 5-17 $16, 4 and below not available.

The Copper King Mansion, Montana's first historic place, was built for copper mining developer William A. Clark, costing more to build than the 1883 courthouse. Taking the 90-minute well-narrated tour is just the ticket to relive a life of luxury through this 34-room brick mansion adorned with stained glass windows, frescoed ceilings, hand-carved woodwork, chandeliers, and antique furnishings, picturing the good life wandering through a 64-foot attic ballroom, billiard room, library, and chapel, enjoying collections of dolls, hats, toys, clocks, and more. 219 W Granite St., 406-782-7580, thecopperkingmansion.com. Adults $20, children 5-10 years $10, under 5 free.

Ending your day at Granite Mountain Memorial Overlook will serve a dual purpose. One, to take in the amazing panoramic view of the 10,000-foot Highland Mountains and Continental Divide and, second, to pay tribute to Montana's mining heritage and the 168 men who lost their lives in the June 8, 1917, Speculator Fire Disaster, the greatest loss of life in hard rock mining history. The open-air plaza offers views of the headframes, East Ridge, and the remains of the mining industry, while interpretive plaques share the stories of the people, events, and turbulent times around this period, bringing insight into the national importance of Butte's mining and labor history. Cora Terrace Road, 406-723-3177, minememorial.org.

 

Reader Comments(0)