Butte: Mining History, Museums and Scenery

Butte is part of the Butte-Anaconda Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District. Many buildings and mining structures there have retained their historic integrity. Their architecture displays features typical of the development of a western mining economy. This means you encounter mining history not only as a subject, but also in the District’s preserved buildings.

Cultural History and Museums

The preserved buildings in the District include the Mai Wah Noodle Parlor and Wah Chung Tai. They house a museum that shares the history and experiences of Asian people in Montana. The Mai Wah Society provides public education about the history, culture and living conditions of Asian people in the Rocky Mountain West. This brings both experiences in Montana and a broader regional perspective into focus.

The World Museum of Mining is located on the actual site of the Orphan Girl Mine. At the museum, visitors can walk along the brick-lined streets of Hell Roarin’ Gulch. The Lexington Stamp Mill Gardens commemorate one of Butte’s oldest industrial sites. Both places offer different ways to explore the region’s industrial heritage: one through a mining site, the other through the memory of an early industrial site.

About 1,300 exhibits are on display at the Mineral Museum @ Montana Tech. A UV dark room makes minerals glow under fluorescent light; admission to the museum is free. The collection and the special lighting room offer a different way to explore Butte’s history than its buildings and mine sites: here, the minerals themselves take center stage.

Tours, Views and Visitor Information

The Butte Trolley Tour is a one-and-a-half-hour history tour. You can view the Berkeley Pit from a visitor platform. From the Granite Mountain Memorial, panoramic views extend to the 10,000-foot-high Highland Mountains, the Continental Divide and remnants of the once-thriving mining industry. These three offerings have different focuses: a tour with a stated duration, a view of the Pit from a platform, and a panorama of scenery and mining traces.

A guided tour with a ticket is required to visit Our Lady of the Rockies up close. Tours depart from the attraction’s Gift Shop at 1707 Continental Dr. Suite C. This requirement is important when planning: an up-close visit is only possible as part of a guided tour and with a ticket.

Silver Bow Creek and Other Activities

The Silver Bow Creek Greenway Corridor stretches for 26 miles along Silver Bow Creek between Butte and the Warm Springs Ponds. Silver Bow Creek is an ecosystem returning to its original character after more than a century of pollution from copper and silver mining in Butte and Anaconda. This brings together the region’s industrial past and ecological recovery.

Ridge Waters Community Pool also offers a water park with a lazy river and water slide. The one-and-a-half-hour Trolley Tour can be clearly factored into your schedule; at the Mineral Museum, the collection, UV dark room and free admission are the main attractions. If you’re looking for a hotel in Butte, these different visitor experiences can help you plan your trip around your own interests.

Discover more destinations: Walkerville

Return to the main travel overview: Silver Bow.