Like many mining camps, Butte came into existence because of gold. Yet by 1870 placer mining,
the easiest method of gold extraction, was petering out. While most miners drifted away to other
promising mineral strikes, a few far-sighted individuals labored on in Butte, trying to solve
the puzzle of freeing gold, silver, copper, manganese, zinc and lead from a tightly locked
matrix of quartz. Through the 1870s, silver mining kept Butte alive. At the end of the decade
three critical elements came together: Butte miners struck the richest deposit of copper
ever found; advanced smelting technology made it profitable to extract the copper and other
metals; and railroads reached Butte to cut the cost of transportation to eastern manufacturers.
At the same time the electricity and telecommunications industries were getting under way. For
instruments and equipment, as well as millions of miles of delivery wire and cable, copper was the
material of choice. Butte quickly boomed into a mini New York with lavish theatres, posh hotels,
Wealthy copper barons wrestled for power, labor unions rose up, and the mines (more
than 200 at one time) hummed 24 hours a day. The one-time mining camp became a metropolitan center
of industry, culture and mass transportation in the West. By 1920 the population, a melting pot
of Irish, Finns, Italians, Cornish, Welsh, Serbs, Chinese and others, grew to more than
100,000 people. Butte was visited by dignitaries such as presidents Theodore Roosevelt and
John F. Kennedy, and famous entertainers like Charlie Chaplin and Ethel Barrymore.
Evidence of Butte's history is apparent, from the head frames marking old mine shafts, to elaborate
19th century churches, to the last of the old stamp mills. Much of this heritage is well-preserved
and readily accessible. This is why so many history buffs find Butte almost as difficult to leave as
it is fun to visit.
The webcam is hosted by TheMontanaStandard.com, the Butte's
online daily newspaper.
The above excerpt from the Butte Chamber of Commerce History page.