BUTTE

The Bell Diamond Mine 11/89The Bell Diamond headframe was constructed in 1898. Bought by Anaconda Copper in 1895. The Damond Mine itself was named for the configuration of the claim stakes in 1879. It eventually linked up with the Belle Line which was 1/10 of a mile away and all the order was brought up through a single shaft and head frame. The mine, dug to the 3500 ft.level, shutdown in 1938

The East Side Mines & Neighborhoods on the Richest Hill on EarthHeadframes are surrounded by residential neighborhoods, with a rainbow and the continental divide in the distance. The elevation and northern location made it extremely cold during the winter months. However, the minds were always warm. The small head frame in the background where the rainbow touches, is part of the Kelly Mine is one of the oldest head frames, built in 1916, and, by far is the smallest headframe in Butte.

The Kelly Mine, Headframe & CityThe Kelly was the last mine to be developed in Butte. It was built in 1949 and closed in 1980. Cornelius Francis Kelley came to Butte, MT from Mineral Hill, NV in 1883 at the age of eight. He worked as a water boy on the Butte Hill and part time as a nipper–essentially, a delivery boy of machinery to the miners–underground at the Anaconda Mine. It wasn’t long before he worked in the engineering department and worked his way up the corporate ladder. In 1918, Kelley got the name from the President for the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. By 1949, Cornelius opened the Kelley mine when the demand for copper increased after World War II. He saw this as the adaptive solution to the economic conditions at the time. Towards the end of its life, it was the last underground mine still in operation before closing its shafts in 1974. The mines main production was Lead, Copper, Silver, and Zinc, but does not disclude the countless other mineral mixtures that can also be found. It is also famous for the rare variety of blue smithsonite that can only be found here in Kelly. The history is as rich as the variety of material discoverable here. The Kelley has three shafts and two headframes, the larger the tallest on the hill. Even the mining process itself took on new proportions with block-caving mining techniques, which increased production to over 15,000 tons a day. The first Kelly head frame is still on site. It is quite small and was erected in 1906.

LeachateCopper leacahate combines with water at the surface. Until the late 1990s, basically, nothing organic could grow on the Hill, even the neighborhoods. The Hill was devoid of green for over a century.

Home & Apartment Building, East Granite StreetMuch of the east side of Butte was sacrificed for the huge open pit mine that began in the 1950s. This landscape shows the edge of the pit behind the homes. Obviously, it became an area of low real estate values, but true to the Butte character, people remained after the complete closure of all the mining operations in 1983. The photograph was taken in 1989.

Scott Apartments & Original Mine HaadframeOriginally built to house miners, the building has been completely rehabilitated today. The shot was taken in 1989, six years after all the mines closed in a single day.

Main & Wollman Streets, Stewart Mine Headframe

West Woolman Street Home, Car & Stewart MineRailroad traffic as well as mine head frames dominated the hill. The shot was taken from underneath one of the underpasses of the railway, which would bring the R from the mine to the smelter which by 1916 went to Anaconda 14 miles away. It's easy to imagine the noise which was a 24/7 symphony of whistles, bells, horns, ore being dumped, explosions in the mine underneath the neighborhood as notre tunnels and ore is blated. A hard rock mining town like no other.

Kelly Mine and the FlatsAt the base The Continental Divide and Butte Hill with Uptown and most of the population, on its slope, is a large area called The Flats. The airport is located here and newer housing along with shopping malls, now rivaling the population of Uptown. At one time the area has smelter for the oral big mind up the hill.

Badger State Headframe

Badger State Mine Hoist House - Winch & Depth CounterThe hoist man had a major responsibility and a challenge, manually reading the depth chart. The picture taken in 1989 shows a little bit of graffiti, and also gives you a good idea of the primitive of nature of the elevator system hauling men in these minds. The operator was a very important worker.

Badger State Mine Hoist MotorThe shell of the motor still exists and all the copper has been stripped out of it, of course.

Badger State Mine Headframe in Moonlight

Granite Mountain Mine Headframe in MoonlightThis mine was where the worst mining disaster in the city's history took place. The mine fire that occurred in 1917 killed 168 men. The ground directly around Granite Mountain was weakened from beneath. Over decades, it settled. So now the headframe stands halfway up its own little depression like a lighthouse that the sea eroded around. The headframe was planted on solid, high ground, because that’s where the ore led them. Then the earth got chewed up, creating a giant bowl with the mine headframe sitting in its own depression. A hundred-plus years of underground voids, caving, subsidence, waste dumping, and later open-cut pushes re-shaped the whole damn hill. Think of Butte Hill like a loaf of bread somebody mined from the inside — take enough slices out of the interior, the crust sinks, sags, slumps, pulls apart.

Granite Mountain Mine Headframe in Moonlight

Granite Mountain Mine ElevatorThe granite Mountain mine went down 3900 feet. These single person elevators were used mainly for maintenance and supply purposes. The main hoisted cages for miners were large and could contain 6 to 20 individuals, or more. Although those were entirely scrapped.

Loading Platfrorm & Badger State Mine, Along the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Short Line Rail Line Railroad in MoonlightBy the early 1900s this area of Montana was a well oiled mineral machine. The infrastructure lasted until 1983 and included. The Anaconda works, 14 miles away, is where, by 1916, all the ore went out on the railroads to the Washshoe Reduction Works in Anaconda.

Switch & Boulder, Along the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Short Line Railroad in Moonlight

Abandoned Sluices on Top of the Hill in Moonlight100 years before this picture was taken the mind. Head frames were basically on level land at the top of the hill. The hell itself became granite, Swiss cheese, and the combination of collapsing land, mine waist, and or production produced this sort of landscape that the moon exposure for 90 minutes might enhance.

Abandoned Hopper, Extreme Toxic SiteIn the upper portion of the mining district, surrounded by abandoned head frames, is a particularly toxic zone with the usual leachates, but, also, with warning signs, PCBs, etc. Transformers leaked PCB-laden oil into soil for decades Pumps and generators were bathed in the same oils some hoist houses had PCB oils in hydraulic systems soil around electrical infrastructure got saturated, waste oil drums were dumped or punctured Rain pulled everything downhill into the low areas. Arsenic, copper tailings. acidic mine drainage, residue lead, old petroleum spill zones, oxidized sulfides that turn the ground into battery acid and mitigation slowly began in 1989 with Butte being declared a super fun site, meaning nothing had been done to mitigate toxins as the mines ran for over 150 years, finally closing for good in 1983.

The Bell Diamond Headframe, Approaching Fog in MoonlightWell, into a 90 minute time exposure with moonlight fog came in from the north, over the Yankee Doodle Tailings area and down into the mining area at 3:00 am. Get to a place where we are not trusting what's happening.

Leachate Pond Above Berkley Pit

Leachate & Bell Diamond Headframe Reflectiom

Yankee Doodle Tailings Site, Above the Butte Hill Mining Area 1Located north of the Berkeley Pit at the base of Rampart Mountain, the Yankee Doodle Tailings Pond is sometimes colloquially know as “Acid Lake”, which is something of a misnomer, as the pond is actually less acidic than wastewater from elsewhere on the Butte Hill due to differences in geochemistry. Tailings from current Montana Resources mining operations in Butte are discharged here. The pond was created through the construction of a rockfill dam on Yankee Doodle and Silver Bow Creeks, completed in 1972. At 174 meters (about 575 feet, and rising), the dam is the 10th highest in the U.S. - Wiki

Yankee Doodle Tailings Site, Above the Butte Hill Mining Area 2In the upper portion of the mining district, another view of the tailings site - the debris left over from mining. Butte is one of the most arsenic laden places in America and, it is home to arsenic trioxide, arcenopyrite, pyrite residue, and arsenic bound sulfites. But we cannot forget lead, copper, tailings, zinc, cadmium, mercury, sulfuric acid, soils, petroleum, and lubricant waste, PCBs, cyanide traces, asbestos, nitrate residue, radon, and uranium traces.

Fourplex Apartment Houses, South Idaho StreetThe picture was taken in 1989 when Butte looked exactly like any Rus Beltl town. As we now know those cities never fully expired, and, during their downfall, half stayed.

Home & Apartment House, North Jackson StreetMidnight, January, 1989, - 10 degrees. During these times, Duke looked exactly like any rustbelt down back east, with abandonment and occupation, living side-by-side.

Homes, Dublin Gulch, MoonlitOne of the oldest neighborhoods in Butte, obviously Irish, has very few existing structures. In Ireland when you were sent off, or you decided to migrate to Dublin Gulch, you were told to look for the seven stacks of the Neversweat, at the time the most dominant landmark in Butte. It's seven smokestacks spit out huge plumes of black smoke 24/7 over Dublin Gulch in particular.

Home & Burnt Apartment House, East Granite StreetA large part of the far east side of Butte was chewed up and replaced by the Berkeley pit. These two structures lie just below the pit where most of the homes, shops and bars began to disappear when the pit was built in the 1950s.

Pick-up Truck, WalkervilleSitting above, Butte is the Walkerville neighborhood. The pick up truck was sitting in the parking lot of the Walkerville school which in 1989 was completely abandoned.

Anaconda, House, East 6th St.Anaconda is 24 miles from Butte and it was the location of the smelter works for Butte's mines, where the ore was smelted into pure copper, plus gold, silver, zinc and any valuable non-copper rock.

Anaconda, Homes, West Park Ave.Anaconda is Butte's sister town, named for the conglomerate that bought out the mines in Butte and consolidated them. The company built a huge smelter in Anaconda, eliminating the smelters of Butte that were run by Marcus Daly and William Clark, who, along with F. Augustus Heinze were known as the Copper Kings.

Anaconda, The Big Stack,Remnant of the Smelter, inside The Washoe Reduction Works of the Anaconda Copper Company. In the late 1880s, the Anaconda company began buying up the mines of Butte. There there was a company smelter in Anaconda since 1884, and in 1916, the company built the famous Washoe Reduction Works, which included the 586 foot smokestack and smelter.

Anaconda, Club Moderne, East Park Ave.Dollars

Advertisement, Greek Cafe, South Wyoming Street

Doorway, Pincus Building, South Main Street

Sign Over Window, Pincus Building, South Main StreetTypical Butte honestuy.

Sign Over Window, Pincus Building, South Main StreetTruer words were never spoken.

Sign Over Window, Pincus Building, South Main Street - CloseButte is proud.

Sign Over Window, Pincus Building, South Main - Close

Sign Over Window, Pincus Building, South Main

Table, Room 516, Grand Hotel, West BroadwayConveniently situated across the street of the greyhound bus station as well as the old Woolworth store with a large lunch counter, the Montana Theatre, and many bars, including the M&M.

Room 516, Grand Hotel, West Broadway Ave.I would stay at the grand hotel during the winter, and there would be no heat. When I complained to the front desk and left to go to the M&M, when I came back, there was an old rickety electric heater that threw out very little heat. Also, when I left the room to go to the M&M, I put my camera gear case in a closet and put a penny on the lift. As I thought when I returned, the penny was on the floor.

Window View, Room 516, Grand Hotel, West Broadway Ave.

Window View, Room 516, Grand Hotel, West Broadway Ave.View to the north west and the Butte sign on a large hill.

Hotel Finlen & Motor Inn - The Author Takes a BreakThe motor lodge was built in the 1950s and attached to the Finland hotel, which was built in 1928 and was the classiest hotel in the city. Of course, today, the motor Lodge is being advertised as a mid-century modern wonder.

Window, Capris Motel, Stewart Mine Headframe, & NeighborhoodThe Capri was the closest motel to the mining District.

Bell Diamond Headframe, Moonlight

Headframe & City at Twilight

The Bell Diamond Headframe. Approaching Storm

Apartment House & Stewart Mine Headframe, East Woolman St.

House, West Copper St.

Home & Apartment House, East Granite St.When the Berkley pit was was dug, in the 50s, the far east side of Butte began to deteriorate, but, of course, people still lived in this ruined part oftown.

House, West Woolman Street

House, East Center St.

House, Gagnon St.

Bell Diamond Headframe & Hoist House

Bell Diamond Headframe, Breaking Storm at Sunset

Shiv Wheels, Bell Diamond MineShiV wheels were replaced on the top of the head frame to support the cables hoisting ore, men and supplies.

Shiv Wheels Rack, Bell Diamond Mine

Leachate Pool & Bell Diamond Mine Headframe

The Scott apartments and original mine head frame.The Scott apartments was completely rehabilitated and say, and is presently an Airbnb.

Leachate Pool & Bell Diamond Mine Headframe

Yankee Doodle Tailings Pond, Above the Butte Hill Mining AreaWith over 90 years of mine detailing and debris and runoff the Yankee doodle tail and spot is massive. It says on an even higher elevation than the mining district and Hill right now.

West Wollman Street Neighborhood - Homes & Original Mine Headrame From the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railroad Cut

Home, East Center Street

Table, Grand Hotel, Room 516

Club 13 & BartenderThe bar originated as the Milwaukee beer hall in 1895. By 1912 it had become an umbrella factory and a succession of stores and restaurants, until, at the end of prohibition. It became a bar once more called the club. In the 30s, the streamline moderne architectural touches were added to the exterior, as well as the interior, but the second floor the original 1895 architecture.

House, East Mercury Street

Butte HomeIncredibly old minor home.

House, West Copper St.

Butte Hill - Original, Stewart, Kelly & Bell Diamond Mine Headframes & Neighborhoodsthe Richest Hill on Earth was the world's biggest producer of copper.

The M & M Cigar Store & CafeThey was built in 1995 and unfortunately, it was destroyed completely by fire in 2012, however, it opened close by, and, the neon sign was saved.

Rainbow Over the Richest Hill on Earth - The Butte Mining District

Home & Apartment House, East Granite St. in Moonlight

Bell Diamond Mine Headframe in MoonlightA 90 minute exposure at 3 o'clock in the morning, gives you an enormous amount of time to examine the landscape.

Rainbow Over the Richest Hill on Earth - part of The Butte Mining District

House & Kids Playing, Gagnon Street & West Copper Street

Dublin Gulch & The Neversweat Mine & Hoisting WorksThe Neversweat ran on coal — seven stacks of it, roaring day and night. They weren't just more smokestacks on the Hill; it was the biggest coal-burner in a whole forest of stacks that defined the mining district and the neighborhood around it, a skyline built from smoke, boilers, and the hard math of pulling copper out of a mountain. Dublin Gulch clawed its way into existence in the 1880s, slapped together by Irish miners who crossed an ocean with little more than a name and a rumor: “Find the seven stacks of the Neversweat.” Those chimneys — rising off the 1884 hoist — were the smoke-black beacon that told an immigrant he’d reached the place where hope, danger, and a day’s wage all lived in the same room. Life in the Gulch was tight and rough: shacks propped up on mined-out ground, smoke drifting through every crevice, kids running the tailings like it was their backyard. The mines chewed into the north and east edges over the years, but the southwest corner held on out of pure Butte stubbornness. In this book you will find some of the last surviving homes from the original Dublin Gulch.