Headframes of Butte

12 Locations | Curated by Story of Butte

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 electrified the country and fueled the second industrial revolution in the U.S. Sometimes called “gallows" or "gallus" frames, the headframes are a symbol of the cost of human life to extract those precious metals, as well as of the strength of America's trades and labor organizations.


There were once hundreds of mines on the Butte hill. Today 17 headframes, ranging from 100 to 200 feet tall, stand proudly over the mining city.


The headframes supported the massive cables that were used to lower miners to their work, to transport mules, equipment and supplies down the shafts, and to bring up load after load of ore. The cables ran from the hoist house over a sheave wheel at the top of the frame and down into the shaft. Most hoist engines were originally powered by steam. Some switched to compressed air power, and eventually most used electric motors.


Headframes were originally made of wood, and later were replaced with taller steel structures. The steel headframes were often built directly over the existing wooden headframes, which continued to operate until the new one was functional. The steel structures were valuable, and many were moved around the hill as some mines played out and others were established.


Headframes have long been symbols of the community. In the heyday of underground mining, electricians and ropemen decorated them every Christmas and lit them each Thanksgiving Eve. The tradition continues today, with some of the headframes outlined in red lights or decorated with special lights for holidays and with flags during the summer.


In addition to the 13 headframes described on this tour (keeping in mind that the Kelley Mine has two headframes), there are four other less visible headframes remaining. The Parnell and Modoc are located on the walls of the Berkeley Pit. The Pilot Butte is northwest of the pit, in the midst of surface mining debris. The Parrot is located over an air shaft.

The Badger, like most of the works on the eastern end of the hill, was principally a copper-bearing mine. Its large deposits of zinc and lead, however, gave this mine importance during war years. Before the Berkeley Pit was excavated, dozens of other mines pierced the surrounding landscape, all of…
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When it was installed in 1915, the electric hoist at the Granite Mountain mine was the largest in the country. Connected to the Speculator mine 200 yards to the south, Granite Mountain was developed to bolster the productive capacity of its parent mine. Instead, it nearly destroyed it. The…
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The Diamond was named by a prospector for the configuration formed by its claim stakes. Originally owned by mining entrepreneur William Clark, this mine figured prominently in his battle with Marcus Daly and Augustus Heinze for control of the Butte copper industry. The mine was ultimately sold to…
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Typical of many Butte mines, the Lexington experienced several distinct periods of operation accompanied by major changes to its built environment. Butte capitalist Andrew Davis invested in developing the Lexington first. Beginning in the mid1870s, he used a horse-powered whim to raise silver ore…
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Standing at an elevation of 6,135 feet, the “Con” is more than a mile high and a mile deep, the deepest on the hill. Originally called the Mountain Consolidated, the name was later shortened by tongue-twisted immigrant miners. The Con was a copper mine and one of the biggest producers in the…
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The Kelley Mine is the youngster on the hill. It represents the most technologically advanced workings, with a concrete-lined shaft to reduce the risk of fire. The cage held fifty miners, a giant step from the early days when cages were built to hold six men. The Kelley has three shafts and two…
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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…
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The Original Mine, a good producer of copper and silver, was the site of some of the earliest mining in Butte. Early pioneers found small pits dug by early prospectors, possibly native Americans, with elk horn near the site of the Original Mine. William Clark patented Lot #39 in 1878, launching the…
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The Anselmo mineyard is the most intact of any in Butte, and includes the main hoist engine room, an auxiliary hoist building (with a lamp room in the lower level), carpenter shop, timekeeper's offices, hose house, the dry (miners’ locker room), and a warehouse, in addition to the headframe…
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The Belmont was one of the hotter works, shunned by miners from northern climates but attractive to muckers from Mexico and other warm Latin American countries. They often sought work here, just as the Irish flocked to the Mountain Con. The Belmont was a notable F. Augustus Heinze mine. The…
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The oldest mine on the hill, the Travona began in 1864 as a gold mine named the Asteroid. But the Butte area never produced much gold, and mining at the Asteroid, as well as the rest of Butte, had pretty much played out by the time William Farlin came to own the mine. Farlin took advantage of a…
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From the time it was located in 1875 until it was purchased by Marcus Daly and associates in 1879, ownership of fractional shares in the Orphan Girl Mine changed hands faster than the ante in a poker game. While not a huge producer according to Butte standards, it was productive enough to plunge it…
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Note: The article for each headframe includes operating dates and the depth for the associated mine. These figures can vary depending on how one defines the opening or closing of a mine, or where one obtains information about the depth of the mines. While it is hard to compile a definitive list, we included these numbers to give you a general sense of the life of each mine.