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City Hall

Home of the Butte Fire Department

The funeral procession for the 13 firefighters began at City Hall.

The Butte Fire Department in 1895 was housed on the main floor of City Hall, at 24 East Broadway. When the alarm came in from call box 72 on the night of January 15, the horses pulling the fire carts came racing out through the arches at the front of the building.

Fifteen firefighters rushed to the scene. Only two men and one horse would return to the fire department alive. The funeral procession for the 13 fallen firefighters, one of the largest funerals ever in Butte, began from City Hall.

City Hall also housed the police court, where hearings to determine responsibility for the explosions were held. The investigation began on January 21 and lasted 10 days, with crowds filling the courtroom. On January 31 the jury concluded that the Kenyon-Connell Commercial Company and the Butte Hardware Company were criminally negligent and careless in their storing of dynamite.

Images

City Hall In 1895, Butte's Fire Department was located in City Hall. The department's horse-drawn equipment entered and exited through the arches at the front of the building. Source: Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives Date: 1890s
Butte Fire Department Historical Christmas Souvenir The Butte Fire Department Historical Christmas Souvenir documents Butte's Fire Department prior to the 1895 explosion. Source: Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives Creator: Guy Platt Sweet Date: 1894
Butte's Fire Department, 1894 Members of the Butte Fire Department as shown in the 1894 Christmas Souvenir. Source: Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives Creator: Guy Platt Sweet Date: 1894

Location

24 East Broadway | Public

Metadata

Lindsay Mulcahy, “City Hall,” Story of Butte, accessed September 30, 2023, https://storyofbutte.org/items/show/3424.