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Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives

Every person, through their lives, shapes local and American history. Archives are here to protect that history.

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Past Exhibits

One Family One Hundred Years: Centennial of the Pekin Noodle Parlor

All Nations

Butte Fire Department #1

Daughters of Norway

Exchange Club

Italians of Butte

Lebanese of Butte

Serbian Culture and Faith

100 Objects

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On April 21, 1920, two days into a mine strike on

On April 21, 1920, two days into a mine strike on the Butte hill, sixteen men were injured and one man was killed outside the Neversweat Mine on Anaconda Road. The men were picketing for higher wages and the end of the rustling card system, which would blacklist men. Mine guards were deputized that morning. The sheriff arrived in attempts to mediate. It was during this time that the guards opened fire into the crowd, shooting into the backs of the men as they ran away. Thomas Manning was killed and his death is still unsolved. Today marks the 101st anniversary of the Anaconda Road Massacre.
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Pictured today is the Neversweat Mine with the Anaconda Road in front of it.
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#ButteMontana #Mining #Neversweat #AnacondaRoad #ThisDayInHistory

We love this photo of two children enjoying sunshi

We love this photo of two children enjoying sunshine and flowers, especially as Butte woke up to snow on the ground this morning!
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#ButteMontana #ButteInBloom #Spring #Flowers

We are looking at the weekend like... . Pictured

We are looking at the weekend like...
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Pictured today are Butte High School seniors from 1922 celebrating Bohunkus Day. This was a day for the seniors to dress up in silly costumes and parade around town every April. The last Bohunkus Day was held 70 years ago in 1951.
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#ButteMontana #BohunkusDay #April #Traditions

It's National Gardening Day! Tune into Party Line

It's National Gardening Day! Tune into Party Line on KBOW AM 550 or kbow550.net to learn about gardening in Butte! Master gardener, Julie Bushmaker, will discuss the Park Street Community Garden with Kim Kohn at 1:00pm!
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Pictured today is a piles of vegetables at the Hansen Packing Company.
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#ButteMontana #CommunityGarden #PartyLine #Gardening #NationalGardeningDay

Have a wedding on the horizon? Looking for a uniqu

Have a wedding on the horizon? Looking for a unique and historical location? Check out The Historic Clark Chateau for your wedding venue!
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#ButteMontana #ClarkChateau #Wedding

Today is National Cherish an Antique Day! While th

Today is National Cherish an Antique Day! While the Archives focuses on documents, we do have a few antique artifacts that we are quite fond of and relevant to our building's history. Pictured today is a Butte Fire Department No. 1 badge that was discovered in Butte's warehouse district. It dates back to 1895 and is believed to have belonged to the firemen who died in the Great Explosion of 1895.
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Do you an antique that you cherish? Tell us about it below!
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#NationalCherishAnAntiqueDay #ButteMontana #ButteFireDepartment #ButteNeverForgetsHerOwn

It's National Library Week! The Butte Public libra

It's National Library Week! The Butte Public library was established in February of 1894 (originally known as the Butte Free
Public Library). It was funded in part by Charles X. Larabee. Next time you visit the library, check out the plaque just inside the main doors and you will see his name! Butte's library offers books, newspapers, and magazines, as well as computers, digital and audio books, and programs for adults and children.
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Pictured today is the library's reference desk in April 1958.
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#ButteMontana #NationalLibraryWeek #ButtePublicLibrary #Libraries #Books #Read

Happy 406 Day! We are so lucky to live in this sta

Happy 406 Day! We are so lucky to live in this state! When we think of Montana we think of tight knit communities, the great outdoors, and in this corner of the state, mining! What do you think of when you think of the 406 state?
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Pictured today are the neighborhoods of Meaderville, McQueen and East Butte from the Speculator Mine, circa 1943.
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#406Day #Montana #ButteMontana #Meaderville #McQueen #EastButte #Mining #Mountains

The Archives now has stickers! These beauties are

The Archives now has stickers! These beauties are UV, weatherproof, and waterproof! Get the Butte history fan's hottest accessory by stopping in or shopping online! Link in the bio.
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#ButteMontana #ButteArchives #BSBPublicArchives #Stickers

Check out these cuties from the first grade class

Check out these cuties from the first grade class of Whittier in 1962 showing off their Easter bonnets they made! From top to bottom: Mark Munger, Karen Crane, Jimmy Clary, Mary Ann Fitzgerald, and Cheryll Worrell. Happy Easter to all who celebrate!
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#ButteMontana #Easter #EasterBonnet #ArchivesTipOfTheHat

We are excited to share more of the ACM Safety Pos

We are excited to share more of the ACM Safety Poster coloring sheets! We would love to see your creativity! Use the images posted here or visit https://buttearchives.org/coloring-pages/. Send us an email with your colored sheet at bsbarchives@bsb.mt.gov or tag the Archives in your social media post!
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#ButteMontana #ACM #ColorOurCollection #ButteArchives #ButteMontana #AnacondaCopperMiningCompany #ArchivesArtist

Pictured today is the Marcus Daly Park horse racin

Pictured today is the Marcus Daly Park horse racing track in July of 1929. Did you know dog sled races were held here during the winters?
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APRIL FOOL'S!
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Marcus Daly Park was opened in 1929 with racing dates coinciding with the Western Canadian horse racing circuit. It was started and managed by R. James Speers. It didn't last long though due to the Great Depression.
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#ButteMontana #AprilFools #HorseRacing

Rose Hum Lee was born in Butte in 1904 to Chinese

Rose Hum Lee was born in Butte in 1904 to Chinese immigrant parents. Rose earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from Carnegie Institute of Technology and went on to earn her doctorate from the University of Chicago becoming a renowned sociologist. The Montana Standard reported Rose was "the first American-born Chinese woman to teach sociology in an American college" in 1945. Her book "The Growth and Decline of Chinese Communities in the Rocky Mountain Region" provides a definitive history of Chinese in the West that is still relevant today. Rose died in 1964.
Photo from the Montana Standard, August 18, 1940.
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#ButteMontana #WomensHistoryMonth #HerStory #ChineseAmericanHistory

The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth came to Butt

The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth came to Butte in the early 1880's. They lived in a small cabin and solicited to all of Butte for money to establish a hospital in Butte, which they accomplished in 1881. Beyond caring for the patients they did all the cleaning and cooking as well as their daily worshipping.
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The Sisters were active in the community and added on to their hospital many times throughout the years. They took over the Butte Community Hospital in 1961, formally moving all their operations and changing the name to the St. James Community Hospital in 1962. The hospital still serves the community of Butte today.
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Pictured today are the Sisters of Charity being treated to a dinner at the Meaderville Volunteer Fire Department in 1961.
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#ButteMontana #WomensHistoryMonth #HerStory

Henrietta Curtis was born in Walkerville to David

Henrietta Curtis was born in Walkerville to David & Mary Curtis. She attended Blaine School, Butte High School, and Butte Business College. She married Charles Lees in 1906. They divorced in 1911. The couple remarried in 1912, but they divorced again in 1915. They had two children. Henrietta Curtis Lees went to work at Hennessy's in 1912. She worked there until 1920, when she married Charles Bessette.
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Active in politics, Henrietta Bessette was a voting delegate at two national political conventions, and a Democratic committeewoman for 53 years. She was the first woman to file for a seat on the city council after the 18th amendment gave women the right to vote. According to her obituary in the Montana Standard, she lost that election to John Holland by one vote.
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The first national convention she attended was in 1928, when Al Smith was nominated. In 1936, she attended the convention during which Franklin Delano Roosevelt was nominated for his second term.
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Henrietta Bessette died in 1981. She was survived by her son, Curtis Lees, of Billings, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
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#ButteMontana #WomensHistoryMonth #HerStory

Sarah McNelis was born to Irish immigrant parents

Sarah McNelis was born to Irish immigrant parents in Butte in 1912. Sarah grew up with two sisters, Helen and Mary. Helen passed away young, but Sarah and Mary would grow close, eventually living together for majority of their adult life. Sarah did well in school and became a teacher.
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Sarah pursued her master's degree in history at the University of Montana. As the daughter of the watchman of the Lexington Mine, which was previously an F. A. Heinze property, she had access to left behind materials from Heinze's business. This piqued her interest and later in life Sarah decided to do her thesis on Heinze. McNelis corresponded with Heinze's brother, Otto, receiving invaluable information. After graduating with her master's degree in 1948 she continued to teach in the Butte school system.
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Famed Montana historian, K. Ross Toole, contacted Sarah about her thesis in 1951. A portion of it was featured in the first issue of "Montana: The Magazine of Western History". Toole and Sarah later worked to publish Sarah's thesis into a book titled "Copper King at War" in 1968, twenty years after graduating with her master's degree.
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Sarah continued teaching, as did her sister, Mary, and both were active in the Butte Teachers Union. Sarah retired in the late 1970's and became a dedicated volunteer at the World Museum of Mining. Sarah passed away at the age of 91 in 2003.
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In 2018, Zena Beth McGlashan, with the assistance of the Friends of the Archives, had Sarah's book reprinted with an afterward titled "The Watchman's Daughter", chronicling Sarah's accomplished life. "The Biography of F. Augustus Heinze: Copper King at War" is available for purchase at the Butte Archives.
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Pictured are Mary and Sarah McNelis at Sarah's book signing, 1968.
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#ButteMontana #WomensHistoryMonth #HerStory #FAHeinze #CopperKing

Maybelle Hogan was born to Joseph and Margaret Hog

Maybelle Hogan was born to Joseph and Margaret Hogan in 1894. She began teaching in 1914, spending many years at the Lincoln School before her election to the position of county superintendent of schools in 1930, a post she held until her death in 1970. Maybelle was elected to her tenth term, days before her death, making her one of the longest, continuous office holders in the state at that time. The county courthouse was closed during her funeral so all could attend. Maybelle’s mother was also a former county superintendent of schools from 1907 to 1910.
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#ButteMontana #WomensHistoryMonth #HerStory

Cindy Powers was immersed in the Butte’s Irish c

Cindy Powers was immersed in the Butte’s Irish community upon her marriage to Tom Powers, lead singer of Dublin Gulch. Cindy began learning and teaching Irish dance in 1996. She started the Corktown Dancers which would eventually became the Tiernan Irish Dancers, as a sister school to the Trinity Irish Dance School in Chicago. With Cindy’s persistence, Trinity sent an instructor to Butte (as well as Boise and Helena) once a month for many years.
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Cindy’s daughter, Kerry, began Irish dancing with her mom when she was three years old. By the time Kerry was in fifth-grade she was peer coaching dancers of all ages. Kerry now directs the dance school.
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The Tiernan Irish Dancers perform in the schools throughout Butte before St. Patrick’s Day as well as perform at the annual Handing Down the Heritage event on St. Patrick’s Day. The Powers family started these community wide performances as a way of positively portraying Irish traditions in Butte on St. Patrick’s Day. Cindy, Kerry and the Irish dancers are a central part of the annual An Ri Ra Irish Festival in Butte. Beyond these yearly events, these two women teach the youth of Butte the magic of Irish dance on a year-round, weekly basis. Even during the pandemic, Kerry offered dance classes via online video platforms.
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The names Cindy Powers and Kerry Powers Hall are synonymous with the word Irish Dance in Butte and our community could not be more proud to call them ours. Pictured are Cindy and Kerry with three Tiernan Irish Dancers at Handing Down the Heritage in 2019.
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#ButteMontana #WomensHistoryMonth #HerStory #IrishDance #Irish #StPatricksDay #Tiernan #TiernanIrishDance #HandingDownTheHeritage #AnRiRa

Pictured today is the Koskimaki family weaving in

Pictured today is the Koskimaki family weaving in Butte. One of the many traditions the Finns brought with them to America was the art of weaving. Rugs were weaved and used for wall and bed coverings with the pile side down for warmth. These particular rugs were called ryijy. The Finns also developed a distinctive weaving method using rags of fabrics, cut into strips and woven into rugs—called rag rugs. The art of weaving and rug-making was passed down through families, from grandmothers to mothers to daughters and remains a popular folk art today.
Photo courtesy of Kathy Koskimaki Carlson.
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#ButteMontana #FinnTown #Weaving #Finnish #WomensHistoryMonth #HerStory #StUrhosDay

Judy Jacobson was a trailblazer in Butte. Moving h

Judy Jacobson was a trailblazer in Butte. Moving here in 1973 from Indiana, she whole-heartedly embraced an outdoor lifestyle. Judy was on the first women's trap shooting team in Butte and led Girl Scout troops on many adventures.
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Judy is perhaps best known for her political career. She was appointed to the Montana State Senate in 1980 and was the first woman to hold this position from Butte. She was re-elected in 1982 and served until 1996. As a state senator she became the first woman to head Finance & Claims. In 2000, Judy won the race for Butte's Chief Executive. She was the first, and so far, only woman to hold this office, as well.
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Judy passed away in 2019 at the age of 80. She is warmly remembered as a passionate leader for Butte.
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#ButteMontana #WomensHistoryMonth #HerStory

Hours & Info

17 W. Quartz
Butte, MT 59701

1-406-782-3280

bsbarchives@bsb.mt.gov

Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
closed on state and federal holidays

Hours & Info

17 W. Quartz
Butte, MT 59701

1-406-782-3280

bsbarchives@bsb.mt.gov

Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
closed on state and federal holidays

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