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BUTTE, MONTANA
Butte was
established as a mining camp in late 1864 in a valley along
Silver Bow Creek in the northern Rocky Mountains on the
Continental Divide. The area initially yielded gold and silver.
With the expansion of electricity, demand for copper surged and
Butte’s hills proved exceptionally rich in this resource—earning
it the nickname “the Richest Hill on Earth.” Butte was one of the
largest copper boom towns in the West, and offered plentiful
employment opportunities in its mines.
At its peak, the
city’s population surpassed 100,000. Immigrants arrived from
around the world—including Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland,
Finland, Austria, Serbia, Italy, China, Croatia, Montenegro,
Mexico, and Canada—as well as from across the United States.
Prior to 1881, Butte was part of Deer Lodge County. Deer Lodge
was one of the original 9 Montana counties with the
establishment of Montana Territory in 1864. The original county
included what are now Silver Bow County (separated in 1881),
Deer Lodge County, Granite County (separated in 1893) and Powell
County (separated in 1901). For that reason, Butte-Silver Bow
County records before that time may be found in Anaconda-Deer
Lodge County Courthouse. Also, it may be possible to find some
records at Deer Lodge, Powell County.
Also see:
A Brief History of Butte
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