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D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E
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B
utte, America boasts the largest historic district in the nation (and until otherwise
proven, most probably the galaxy and maybe the universe, too). Hell, there's no
more apt way to put it: Butte is positively lousy with history. You can't swing a
miner's pickax at arm's length without hitting some history.
No sir, there's no shortage of history 'round here. The problem might just be the
opposite: so much history that it's almost overwhelming. If you spend any time in
uptown Butte, you can see it in the eyes of tourist passersby: awe tempered with
bewilderment.
Even if you do know the broad outlines of Butte's history—copper kings, head-
frames, labor unrest—you still might find yourself gaga, looking at one of Butte's
buildings and wondering how such a thing came to be. Why is that Catholic
Church so stunningly art deco? Why is that television station housed (since 1957!)
in a railroad depot? How did so much exceptional and well-preserved architecture
arrange itself around a strangely beautiful but toxic hole in the ground?
And you know what I'd say to you? I'd advise you to thank Our Lady of the Rockies
that you have "The Story of Butte" at your fingertips. Because of course, there is no one
monolithic story of Butte. Instead, there's a tapestry of stories woven together.
TELLING
"THE STORY
OF BUTTE"
article and photos by SHERMAN CAHILL
