Butte,
MT, Travel Guide.gif)
Butte : Things to Do
 |
| The
Miners Memorial |
Any
trip to Butte should start with a simple stroll around
downtown- known as "Uptown Butte", in case you forgot.
Just park your car someplace and start walking, exploring
the
wide
variety
of historic
buildings.
Downtwon
Butte itself is tough to miss, just follow the signs. And,
failing that, just get off the Interstate and take any hill
that goes “uphill” – as all uphill roads
seem to lead to Downtown Butte (known as "Uptown Butte")
sooner or later.
Another good stop is to go over to the World Museum of Mining.
The Museum, which charges an admission of $8 last time I
checked, is a good place to learn about the mining activities
in Butte. It also has hundreds of old mining artifacts.
The
Mining Memorial is also a very good place to visit. This
memorial, which can be a pain to find for some reason,
is located in far Uptown Butte (in the small town of Walkerville).
The memorial marks the death of more than 169 miners who
were killed in the nation’s largest hard-rock mining
disaster. On July 8, 1917, a fire was accidentally ignited
in the Speculator Ore Mine – which started more than
2000 feet BELOW ground. 169 miners were burned to death,
yet more amazingly is that many groups of miners below the
fire managed to work their way to safety. A visit to the
memorial also provides a good view of many of the abandoned
mining rigs around town.
Butte
does have a small mall for anyone interested in shopping.
It’s located on Harrison Avenue just south of the Interstate
- down in the "flats" part of town. The mall also has a small
but ok movie theatre – which
makes a good place to spend time in the event the weather
turns cold and rainy (it happens even during the summer at
times). The whole area around the mall also has all the other
strip malls and businesses one would expect, such as Wal-Mart,
K-Mart and fast food joints.
Butte
also has a university. Montana Technical University is
located in Butte, and is widely regarded as one of the
best schools for training in the field of mining – perhaps
not surprisingly. The campus of MTU is also quite nice – and
makes a rather sharp contrast to the nearby buildings just
away from campus.
Butte
Weather
The
weather in Butte, as it lies at a high elevation and sits
right along the Continental Divide, can be highly variable.
Butte is frequently one of the coldest spots in Montana – particularly
at night when it is clear.
Yet,
the Continental Divide often times keep the colder air
away from town. The high mountains frequently prevent the
cold air that surges down from Canada from crossing over
into Butte. As such, even during the winter, Butte can
be surprisingly warm – frequently much warmer than
Helena which lies on the other side of the Continental
Divide just a scant 80 miles away.
Butte
: Outdoor Recreation
Butte,
as it sits in a mountainous area, has plenty to do for
anyone who enjoys outdoor sports. The mountains around
town provide plenty of hiking and hunting opportunities.
Numerous old forest roads also provide great mountain biking.
Fishing is also surprisingly good, considering the environmental
horrors that have occurred, in nearby rivers – particularly
the Clark
Fork to the west of town. The Madison
River,
the Missouri
River and the Big
Hole River are also relatively
close by and have excellent trout fishing. The Anaconda
Settling Ponds also provide excellent monster trout fishing
during select times of the year and also provide for waterfowl
hunting.
Butte : Summary
Overall,
Butte is a very interesting town. While I personally would
not want to live there, Butte is certainly worth visiting – regardless
of the reason why you are visiting Montana. The town if full
of history – and if you like history you will most
definitely like Butte. Between the history, the unique sights
of the mining rigs, the Berkley Pit and the historic buildings – a
person visiting Butte for the first time will have plenty
of things to do and to see.
 
Next
Page : Butte Hotels & Motels
Top
of Page
|
