Butte began as a gold and silver boomtown in the 1860s, but it would be copper that would earn it the designation “The Richest Hill on Earth”. The townsite rests atop one of the most extensive and valuable copper deposits ever found, and when electricity was becoming more widespread around the country, Butte was supplying the copper for the wiring. There’s a very good chance that my family’s home, all the way across the country in Washington D.C., was wired using Butte copper. The city would grow as the mines expanded, with some reaching over a mile down into the earth. Miners would flock from all over the world to work those mines, creating one of the most diverse cities in the west during its heyday. Along with the miners came thousands of other people to run and work in the shops, saloons, restaurants and brothels that grew up alongside the mines. The population would grow to at least 60,000 by the 1920s, making it the biggest city between Chicago and San Francisco. As the mining process became more mechanized, Butte’s population would begin to decline and Butte today is home to only about 35,000 people.
Butte is a wonderful, old city with a ton of history and a million reminders of the city it once was. It’s one of the most photogenic cities I’ve ever been to and one I always look forward to returning to. I love Casagranda’s for an old-school steakhouse experience, Maloney’s is a classic bar and John’s pork chop sandwiches are always a treat. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Butte, Montana - The Richest Hill on Earth.
