The seat of
Silver Bow County, Butte at the junction of I-90 and I-15. The city also is near
Deerlodge National Forest and Pipestone Pass.
Placer gold mining drew settlers in 1864. The town site was laid out in 1867 and was named for a prominent nearby land feature. Development of quartz mining around 1875 spurred the town's growth and led to discovery of silver and copper.
By 1917, Butte's population was 100,000; that year saw the town's worst mining disaster, which killed 168 men.
Today, Butte has slightly more than 30,000 residents. The most prominent landmark of later mining is the mile-long, 1,800-foot-deep Berkeley Pit. The January average high temperature is 28.4 degrees and the low is 4.2 degrees. July's high is 80 and the low is 45.1 degrees.
Historic attractions include Granite Mountain Mine Memorial and the Anselmo Mine Yard, whose center interprets Butte's mining history.
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