Site of underground banquet in 1909
The Steward mine, named for its discoverer, Missouri native John Marshall Steward, was a prolific producer of both silver and copper, as well as some zinc. At one time Steward also owned the Chief Joseph, Nipper, and Raven mines in Butte.
By the early 1880s the Steward mine was owned by William Clark. The brick hoist house is typical of a Clark mine, as Clark preferred brick instead of wood in order to protect his expensive machinery. The hoist house, auxiliary hoist house, and headframe are all that remain of the once extensive mine yard structures.
The headframe was erected in 1898 at a cost of less than $9,000. The cage of the Steward was raised and lowered by a steam-driven engine, which was later converted to compressed air. The engine is still in place in the hoist house.
The Steward was known as a hot, uncomfortable mine to work in. Its most torrid drift was disparagingly referred to as “the Chinese Laundry.”
According to a Montana Standard article, fine dining took place underground at the Steward in 1909. Visiting members of the Massachusetts Street Railway Association were treated to a banquet at the 2,100-foot level. The menu included dishes named after other Butte mines, such as Merry Widow drill sauce, sliced Minnie Healy apples, Parrot Lode chicken, Hidden Treasure salads, Never Sweat lobster and Olympia oyster cocktails.
The Steward was sold to the Anaconda Copper Mining Company in 1910, and was operated until the 1970s. Experimental mining occurred there until around 1981.
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