Coming into the Silver Bow Creek Valley from the north on Interstate 15 just as the sun set behind the Anaconda Range, I snapped a shot on the left looking over what is known as Butte America. Once one of the greatest metropolis cities west of the Mississippi, Butte drew in people from all parts of the world to work it's massive mines which still dot the cityscape to this day. As in the middle picture, the old headframes of former shaft mines are outlined with red tube lights as night falls over the Hill. Filled with rich history, Butte also had a few darker times during the mining boom era. One of the darkest moments was the Granite Mounatin and Spectacular Mine fire that struck the city near midnight on June 8th, 1917. Characterized as the match that lit the powder keg, this fire triggered even more tension between the labor unions and the mining corporations, also in the heat of the First World War. Nearly 80 years following the Granite Mountain tragedy, a memorial has been built in dedication to the 168 miners who lost their lives that day at the 2,400 foot level of the mine and to their mourning wives and families of Butte and all across the world.
Not only was this valley rich with gold, silver, and copper, from the time of the earliest booms to the middle of the 20th century, Butte's homes have been marked and noted as some of the most unique of the western United States. Along the steep street of uptown Butte are grand Victorians and chateau style homes, each different from the next for blocks and blocks.
