Ellen Crain

Butte Ellen Crain

Butte, Montana, nestled in the Rocky Mountains at 5,545 feet, hosts classic architecture, a vibrant past, and an abundance of colorful characters. The massive copper ore deposits underlying the town earned it the nickname "The Richest Hill on Earth," and Butte was the nation's major supplier of copper that helped electrify the world. Also shown here is Butte's early adoption of innovative ideas and technologies, a practice that kept the city thriving despite the vagaries of the mining industry. The enduring spirit of its people, however, lends Butte an exuberant character. Unlike other mining towns, Butte had the audacity to survive, and its rich history and forward thinking will ensure its existence for many generations to come. Today statuesque gallows frames stand testament to Butte's mining past, along with a historic town center that reminds people of that era's prosperity.