Humans in North America have been extracting minerals, chemicals, and metals from the Earth—including flint, pipestone, salt, and copper—for thousands of years. For most of that time, they used…
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Everyone walking around Butte will notice the use of stone for building foundations, retaining walls, lintels, and sills (above and below windows), steps, and even some entire structures. Close…
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Despite living in a rugged mining town, Butte residents of the early 1900s longed to create a sense of culture and beauty in their surroundings. The construction of five major churches and a synagogue…
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The story of the Women's Protective Union (WPU) captures the essence of the Mining City’s spirit. While the unionization of Butte’s underground miners is well-known, the story of its women workers,…
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A few minutes before 10 p.m. on January 15, 1895, a signal came into the Butte fire department from call box 72 indicating a fire near Utah and Iron Streets. Firefighters rushed to the scene in…
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In 1917, Butte was the site of one of the most notorious unsolved murders in American history. The murder of union organizer Frank Little happened in the midst of what was then the biggest strike in…
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The Enabling Act of 1889 laid the foundation for the Montana School of Mines, providing for the first federal land grants for the establishment of mining schools. This landmark provision thus…
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Headframes are the iconic symbol of Butte and represent the contribution of the minerals and metals mined here to the industrial growth of this country. These steel towers lifted the ore that…
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After the Civil War, the American west signified opportunity for wealth and a new start. No one knew that better than the hundreds of African Americans who came to Butte for a better life as free men…
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In the late nineteenth century, Montana Territory was the last of the forty-eight contiguous states and territories that became states to be connected to the nationwide network of railroads. In 1880,…
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Butte was a center of innovation in railway electrification in North America. For much of the twentieth century, Butte was a rare example in the West for railroads using the application of electricity…
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What would Butte be without its schools? From the beginning, the community supported education in hard times and good times. Over the years, nearly 50 unique schools offered elementary education in…
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