D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 1
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BLACK ROCK MINE
In hard rock mining, the "nipper" is an entry-level po-
sition for someone, usually young and potentially a child,
who assists the miners in getting them fresh equipment,
exchanging out old bits, and fetching whatever the miners
need. In the Butte of 1911, child labor laws were still far
down the road, and the job was often occupied by 12- to
19-year-old boys.
On September 3rd of 1911, according to the (slightly
unreliable) 1934 classic of Butte history Copper Camp: The
Lusty Story of Butte, Montana, the Richest Hill on Earth, eight
young nippers at the Black Rock Mine stepped into a steel
cage loaded with old drill bits, shafts of steel, and worn-out
tools. Safety laws forbade men (and certainly children) from
riding in the equipment cage. They were to use the cage
intended for workers, which was hoisted to the surface 15
We Died an
by SHERMAN CAHILL
BUTTE
SILVER
BOW
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